Lara Calleja is also the first Maltese woman to have won this prestigious prize. Calleja tackles the unbridled construction frenzy on the island, construed through the author’s lense as an attack on the soul. From this cycle of construction and destruction however, friendships can bloom, and these stories sesrch for hope amidst the rubble, calm beyond the chaos, and a quest for a change despite a rampant and asphyxiating uglification of rural and urban spaces.

The aim of the European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) is to put the spotlight on the creativity and diverse wealth of Europe’s contemporary literature in the field of fiction, to promote the circulation of literature within Europe and to encourage greater interest in non-national literary works.

The works of the selected winners (one per country participating in the Prize on a rotation basis) will reach a wider and international audience, and touch readers beyond national and linguistic borders.

The Prize is financed by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission, which aims to achieve three main goals: to promote cross-border mobility of those working in the cultural sector; to encourage the transnational circulation of cultural and artistic output; and to foster intercultural dialogue.

Elena Grech, Head of the European Commission Representation in Malta remarked that this Prize celebrates Maltese literary talent and the hardworking local book trade. “This is a lifeline for the Maltese book industry that took its’ fair share of knocks during the pandemic. The European Prize for Literature is an indispensable platform for emerging writers, especially for the literature of smaller countries, and immediately offers the possibility for translation, publishing and networking, in order for the literary work to start moving beyond our shores. We warmly congratulate Lara Calleja for her superb achievement.” 

The European Prize for Literature is awarded every year to ten authors from 41 countries participating in the Creative Europe programme. This year’s winners have been selected by 13 national juries, composed of authors, publishers and booksellers. An anthology of the winners’ writing is published every year, with extracts from their award-winning books in the original language, and in French and English translation.

For further information, kindly contact the European Commission Representation in Malta on comm-rep-mt@ec.europa.eu