L-ewwel rumanz ta’ Mark Camilleri
11/07/2022
Ġaħan huwa karattru letterarju u popolari li ġej mill-karattru letterarju u Għarbi, Ġoħa. Bħal Ġaħan ta’ Malta, Ġoħa huwa wkoll persuna li jagħmel ħafna kummiedji frott l-injoranza tiegħu. Kemm Ġoħa u Ġaħan ġew ippopolarizzati permezz ta’ kotba għat-tfal u f’Malta l-karattru ta’ Ġaħan evolva letterarjament permezz ta’ Francis Ebejer.
Illum, Ġaħan reġa ġie ippopolarizzat permezz ta’ Edward Żammit Lewis, eks-Ministru taħt il-gvern ta’ Joseph Muscat u Robert Abela, meta ma’ Yorgen Fenech, għajjar lill-kostitwenti Laburisti “Ġaħan”. B’dan il-kumment, Edward Żammit Lewis probabli ried jirreferi għal dawk il-Laburisti li jużaw il-vot tagħhom għal xi pjaċir jew biex jinqdew fuq xi ħaġa. Ironikament, il-messaġġi ta’ Edward Żammit Lewis lil Yorgen Fenech jixkfu l-istess aġir Ġaħanesk ta’ Żammit Lewis hekk kif jilgħaq lil Yorgen, jgħidlu li jimmisjah u jiġġieled għall-attenzjoni tiegħu anke meta Yorgen Fenech ma jagħtix kasu. Edward Żammit Lewis kien qeigħed jagħmel eżatt bħal Ġaħan li iddeskriva hu: jilgħaq biex forsi jieħu xi ħaġa.
Jekk ħa nużaw l-istess terminoloġija tal-Prim Ministru, Robert Abela, Ġaħan ukoll irid jiġġedded. B’hekk, dan ir-rumanz iġedded lil Ġaħan li illum jismu Dustin. Huma bosta fatturi li jagħmluh lil Dustin, Ġaħan. Aljenat, għażżien, stradikat, kummidjant, u xi kultant injorant imma illum Ġaħan sar iktar intelliġenti minn qabel. Dan għaliex Ġaħan huwa rappreżentazzjoni ta’ pajjiżu u l-pajjiż inbidel u sar iktar intelliġenti imma sar iktar perikoluż, għalieh innifsu. L-istejjer ta’ Dustin huma metaforiċi u Ġaħaneski bħal meta jerda’ t-toqba ta’ sorm ta’ politikanta u dan għaliex Ġaħan minnu innifsu huwa persuna servili. L-aktar attivita favorita ta’ Ġaħan huwa li jiekol u din hija metafora għall-fatt li l-għan aħħari ta’ Dustin huwa l-konsum hekk kif jissielet biex ikollu għan iktar importanti f’ħajtu.
Dan huwa rumanz satiriku li jirrappreżenta l-Ġaħaniżmu u d-dekadenza politika taż-żminijiet tagħna. Storja ta’ Ġaħan f’pajjiż Ġaħan.
Dan huwa l-ewwel rumanz ta’ Mark Camilleri li s-soltu jikteb kotba tal-istorja. L-aħħar ktieb ta’ Mark Camilleri, “A Rent Seeker’s Paradise” kien best-seller u għadu l-best-seller lokali sal-lum.
Ġaħan fl-Aqwa Żmien ser ikun għal-bejgħ fil-ħwienet tal-kotba fid-19 ta’ Lulju.
Ġaħan fl-Aqwa Żmien
Mark Camilleri’s debut novel
11/07/2022
The popular and literary character of Ġaħan originates from his Arab equivalent called Joha. Like the Maltese Ġaħan, Joha is an ignorant character who ends up in funny situations. Both Joha and Ġaħan have been popularised in children’s books and Ġaħan also evolved literary thanks to Francis Ebejer.
Today, Ġaħan has been popularly revived thanks to Edward Żammit Lewis, a previous minister under Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela’s cabinet, who described Labour costitunets as “Ġaħan” in a message he sent to Yorgen Fenech. With his reference to Ġaħan. Żammit Lewis probably meant to refer to Labour voters who use their vote as a way to obtain favours, yet this is ironic given that the ingratiating behaviour of Edward Zammit Lewis with Yorgen Fenech exposed him as the same Ġaħan he was alluding to. During a series of messages Edward Żammit Lewis pleaded with Yorgen Fenech to meet him and even told him that he misses him as he constantly kept fighting for his attention even when Yorgen Fenech ignored him. With Yorgen Fenech, Żammit Lewis was ingratiating in the same way a Ġaħan would to get a favour from a politician.
If we are to use the same terminology of Prime Minister Robert Abela, Ġaħan needs to renew himself. Therefore, this novel presents the renewed Ġaħan who today is named Dustin. There are various factors which make Dustin Ġaħan. He is loose, lazy, alienated, comical, and a bit ignorant although today’s Ġaħan is rather more intelligent. Ġaħan is also a representation of the country itself and the country has evolved since then, and became more intelligent although it became also a danger to itself. Ġaħan’s stories are metaphorical such has when he licks the anus of a politician and this is because Ġaħan himself is inherently servile. Ġaħan’s most favourite activity is eating and this is also metaphorical whereas his ultimate aim in life is consumption as he struggles to have a higher purpose in life.
This is a satirical novel which represents Ġaħanism and the political decadence of our times. A story about Ġaħan in a Ġaħan country.
This is Mark Camilleri’s first novel who usually writes history books. His latest book, “A Rent Seeker’s Paradise” was Malta’s number one best-seller and is still until today the best-selling local publication.
Ġaħan fl-Aqwa Żmien will be available in all bookshops on 19th July.
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