The National Book Council (NBC) has announced the winners of the 2020 National Book Prize for books published in Malta in 2019. The Prize celebrates the highest achievements in literary and research publishing across nine competitive categories.
Owing to the extraordinary circumstances, the awards ceremony was held online, and for the very first time broadcast to the public on the National Book Council’s Facebook page and website. The streamed ceremony was hosted by veteran TV broadcaster John Demanuele.
In his opening speech, NBC executive chairperson Mark Camilleri noted that 2020 has been a difficult year for the book industry, particularly hard-hit by the economic crisis left in the wake of the ongoing global pandemic which followed a period of political turmoil.
Maltese author Ġorġ Peresso won an award for the best work of literary fiction prize while three journalists were awarded for a non-fiction book about Daphne Caruana Galizia at the 2020 National Book Prize ceremony.
Trevor Zahra, whose books have delighted entire generations of Maltese, was given a
lifetime achievement award for his contribution to literature.
Peresso’s novel
best novel in Maltese or English during the past year, while John Aquilina’s book
Tluq was named the
best work of poetry in Maltese. An equivalent prize for English-language poetry was not awarded.
It was one of two honours Aquilina received on the night, with the poet also named the year s