Mark Camilleri Explained

Mark Camilleri M.Q.R (born 2 February 1988) is a Maltese historian, writer, blogger, and publisher. Camilleri served as chairman of the National Book Council from 2013 to 2021. Following this, he became an outspoken critic of the ruling Labour Party and of prime ministers Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela.

Early career

Camillieri studied history at the University of Malta, where he graduated B.A. (Hons) in 2009 and M.A. in 2012. In his student days he was an active member of Moviment Graffitti.[1]

In 2009, he published Alex Vella Gera's short story Li Tkisser Sewwi (trans. Fix What You Break) in his student newspaper Ir-Realta. Vella Gera's short story is a first person male narrative on female objectification and sexual exploits. The publication was promptly banned from the University of Malta and Camilleri was indicted to court along with the author for publishing obscenities and pornography.[2] This arrest took place during a time when old censorship laws were being applied across the arts sector.[3] This led him to organize a pressure group called Front Against Censorship which lobbied for the removal of censorship laws from the arts. Camilleri and Vella Gera were released from all charges by Maltese courts.[4] Following their release, censorship laws in Malta were removed in 2016. During the following year, the Front Against Censorship lobbied for the removal of criminal libel, which was subsequently removed from Malta's code of laws in 2018.[5]

For his work against government censorship, Camilleri was controversially awarded a Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika (M.Q.R) in 2013 by Malta's President George Abela, amidst accusations of political patronage.[6] [7]

National Book Council

In 2013, Mark Camilleri was appointed Executive Chairman of Malta's National Book Council. During his tenure he introduced Malta's first Public Lending Rights scheme,[8] began Malta's participation at the London Book Fair,[9] and founded the Malta Book Fund.[10]

Camilleri has also pushed for the exportation of Maltese literature,[11] describing Immanuel Mifsud and Walid Nabhan as two of the most representative contemporary Maltese authors around the world.[12]

After the 2019 Malta political crisis Camilleri became very critical of the government owing to complications arising from his own position on Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder investigation.[13] An example of this is evident in the cancellation of the National Book Prize Ceremony, which was due to be held at the Office of the Prime Minister in November.[14] This followed a request for his resignation from his public service post after insulting senior government officials. He refused to resign and issued a formal apology.[15]

His contract with the National Book Council was not renewed in 2021[16] and he claimed political discrimination,[17] demanding a lifetime achievement award.[18]

Political views

Camilleri previously identified himself as a "Marxist"[19] and a "leftist".[20] After his departure from the Labour Party he endorsed ADPD candidate Sandra Gauci[21] before encouraging people to vote for the Nationalist Party.[22] Camilleri endorsed President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola after the 2022 election.[23] He subsequently claimed to identify as a "libertarian capitalist".[24]

Publications

His output as a historian includes the books A Materialist Revision of Maltese History 870-1919 (2016, SKS,) and A Materialist Revision of Maltese History 1919-1979 (2018, SKS,).[25] Camilleri also accused in his work that Superintendence of Cultural Heritage had deliberately concealed archaeological evidence to gloss over Malta's Islamic history and called for the publication of all archaeological items in its inventory.[26] In 2020 he also called for relocation of a statue of Queen Victoria from the centre of Valletta.[27] [28]

In his book A Rent-Seeking Paradise (2021, Dialekta,), Camilleri claims that six Malta Government rebel members of parliament had asked Joseph Muscat to resign from Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party during Malta's political crisis in December 2019.[29]

Camilleri writes regularly on his blog and pursues as a self-published author through his own publishing house, Dar Camilleri. Publications include his novel Ġaħan fl-Aqwa Żmien (2022,)[30] and L-Antologija ta' Letteratura Mqarba (2022,).[31]

In 2021, he released the online chats between alleged Daphne Caruana Galizia murder Yorgen Fenech and Maltese politician Edward Zammit Lewis.[32] In 2023, he released the chats between Fenech and Maltese politician Rosianne Cutajar. This led to the resignation of Cutajar from the Malta Government's parliamentary group,[33] which also triggered her removal from the Social Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Malta.[34] The Criminal Court ordered that Camilleri be charged with criminal action over the release of the chats involving Cutajar, interpreting this as contempt of court in the context of Fenech's ongoing judicial process.[35]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Debono . James . 20 April 2018 . Moviment Graffitti: Since 1994, fighting the power . 2023-04-08 . MaltaToday.com.mt . en.
  2. Web site: Schembri . David . 17 March 2010 . Writer to face charges for Ir-Realta story . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . en-gb.
  3. News: O'Mahony . Jennifer . 2010-08-05 . An obscene attack on Maltese culture . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-04-08 . 0261-3077.
  4. Web site: Cocks . Paul . 4 March 2017 . Front Against Censorship: Media bill contradicts Labour's electoral manifesto . 2023-04-08 . MaltaToday.com.mt . en.
  5. Web site: 15 May 2018 . Criminal libel is history as new media law comes into force . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . en-gb.
  6. Web site: 13 December 2013 . Republic Day • Armed Forces, transgender who challenged State, and face of anti-censorship honoured . 2023-04-08 . MaltaToday.com.mt . en.
  7. Web site: 13 December 2013 . Here’s a new angle to Mark Camilleri’s Medal for Service to the Republic . en.
  8. Web site: Carabott . Sarah . 30 October 2014 . Authors to be paid for library lending . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . en-gb.
  9. Web site: 20 Apr 2015 . NBC at London Book Fair - The Malta Independent . 2023-04-08 . www.independent.com.mt.
  10. Web site: 12 May 2015 . Malta Book Fund to foster cultural growth in the local book market . 2023-04-08 . MaltaToday.com.mt . en.
  11. Web site: Depares . Ramona . 6 March 2019 . 'High priority' on exporting Maltese literature . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . en-gb.
  12. Web site: Rossetti . Chip . 2016-05-02 . Malta's Might: A Few Words With Mark Camilleri . 2023-04-08 . Publishing Perspectives . en-US.
  13. Web site: Camilleri . Neil . 27 December 2020 . The outspoken one: We voted for Muscat in 2017 fully aware there was corruption – Mark Camilleri - The Malta Independent . 2023-04-08 . www.independent.com.mt.
  14. Web site: National Book Council prize ceremony cancelled due to 'heavy shadow' over OPM - The Malta Independent . 2023-04-08 . www.independent.com.mt.
  15. Web site: 17 December 2020 . Book chair apologises for 'foul language', says resignation call withdrawn . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . en-gb.
  16. Web site: Mark Camilleri no longer National Book Council chairman after contract is not renewed - The Malta Independent . 2023-04-08 . www.independent.com.mt.
  17. Web site: Mark Camilleri claims discrimination in his removal from National Book Council chairmanship - The Malta Independent . 2023-04-08 . www.independent.com.mt.
  18. Web site: Calleja . Claudia . 11 October 2021 . Former book council head lashes out at successor and demands lifetime award . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . en-gb.
  19. News: Diacono . Tim . 'Kiss My Glorious Marxist A**,' Mark Camilleri Tells Rosianne Cutajar After Police Charge Him For 'Taunting' And 'Threatening' MP . 30 April 2023 . Lovin Malta . Lovin Malta Ltd . 10 April 2022.
  20. Web site: Episodju 031 ma' Mark Camilleri It-Tieni Parti . YouTube . Jon Mallia Podcast . 30 April 2023.
  21. Web site: camillerimark . 2022-03-15 . Intervista lil Sandra Gauci . 2024-03-24 . Mark Camilleri . en-US.
  22. Web site: camillerimark . 2022-02-21 . The urgency of voting them out . 2024-03-24 . Mark Camilleri . en-US.
  23. Web site: camillerimark . 2022-05-20 . Our future is with the West, yet not with Labour . 2024-03-24 . Mark Camilleri . en-US.
  24. Web site: camillerimark . 2023-12-15 . A reply to Sammy Meilaq: the last socialist who didn’t sell his soul . 2024-03-24 . Mark Camilleri . en-US.
  25. Web site: A new perspective on Maltese history . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . 10 August 2016 . en-gb.
  26. Web site: A materialist revision of Maltese history . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . 24 July 2016 . en-gb.
  27. Web site: Cilia . Johnathan . 2020-06-16 . Replace Queen Victoria With Statue Of A Maltese Intellectual, Book Council Chairman Says . 2023-04-08 . Lovin Malta . en-GB.
  28. Web site: Vassallo . Raphael . 18 June 2020 . Remove Queen Victoria's statue? 'We are not amused'... . 2023-04-08 . MaltaToday.com.mt . en.
  29. Book: Camilleri, Mark . A rent seeker's paradise : rent seeking, politics and the economy, drugs, corruption and dirty oil in Malta . 2021 . 978-9918-9535-1-6 . [Malta] . 1336495829.
  30. Web site: Zammit . Lara . 11 July 2022 . 'Ġaħan fl-Aqwa Żmien': Mark Camilleri releases satirical novel . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . en-gb.
  31. Web site: Zammit . Lara . 24 November 2022 . Anthology of subversive Maltese literature to be launched . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . en-gb.
  32. Web site: Diacono . Tim . 2021-11-02 . Mark Camilleri Publishes Several WhatsApp Chats Between Yorgen Fenech And Edward Zammit Lewis . 2023-04-08 . Lovin Malta . en-GB.
  33. Web site: 3 April 2023 . Rosianne Cutajar resigns from Labour's parliamentary group . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . en-gb.
  34. Web site: 4 April 2023 . Labour Party seeks to remove Rosianne Cutajar from parliamentary committee . 2023-04-08 . Times of Malta . en-gb.
  35. Web site: Agius . Matthew . Azzopardi . Karl . 23 March 2023 . Judge orders criminal action against Camilleri over Rosianne Cutajar WhatsApp leaks . 2023-04-08 . MaltaToday.com.mt . en.

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