Elizabeth Grech (born 13 July 1978,

Life and work

Grech studied Contemporary Mediterranean Studies, Anthropology and French at the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

and the

University of Provence The University of Provence Aix-Marseille I (french: Université de Provence) was a public research university mostly located in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. It was one of the three Universities of Aix-Marseille and was part of the Academy of ...

, from where she obtained a BA and Masters in Ethnology. She lives in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, France, and works as a professional translator, translating from Italian and French into English. Her literary translation work, however, focuses on work from Maltese to French. Grech has been professionally involved with various voluntary and civil organisations including Inizjamed (Malta) and the former René Seydoux Foundation (Paris) where she served as cultural manager for over 10 years. She has also worked as editor for the English version of babelmed.net curating articles on Mediterranean cultures and societies. Grech is a consultant with the CIHEAM (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies). She is currently engaged with Mana Chuma Teatro, (Italy) where she is in charge of translation, communications, networking and international relations. Grech is also a founding and board member of HELA (The Hub for Excellence in the Literary Arts). Grech has read her works at a number of international poetry events, including as part of a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

International Poetry Day event organised by

EUNIC The European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) is a network of European national institutes of culture and national bodies engaged in cultural and related activities beyond their national borders. EUNIC brings together organizations fr ...

and at the International Festival of Poetry in Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia. She was also a guest author at the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival 2019. A number of Grech's poems have been translated to Romanian by poet and translator Valeriu Butulescu.

''bejn baħar u baħar''

Her poetry has been published in various local and international literary journals. Her first collection of poems, ''bejn baħar u baħar'' (between one sea and another) was published in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

by Merlin publishers in 2019. Fellow Maltese writer

Clare Azzopardi Clare Azzopardi (5 July 1977) is a Maltese author who writes for both adults and younger readers. Life Born in St. Julian's, Malta, she eventually went on to study at the University of Malta and then received a master's degree in literacy from ...

, said that Grech's poems are "calm, silent, teasing, just like the sea". The poems attest to Grech's love for the Mediterranean sea and present a strong personal narrative of longing and love which keeps recurring throughout the book.

Contribution to Maltese literature

Grech has translated the works of key figures in

Maltese literature Maltese literature is any literature originating from Malta or by Maltese writers or literature written in the Maltese language. This article will give an overview of the history of Maltese-language literature. History Written Maltese As Ma ...

including poets and writers like Maria Grech Ganado, Antoine Cassar, Norbert Bugeja, John Aquilina,

, Adrian Grima and John Portelli.

References

External links

Official WebsiteMaħżen Poeżija
21st-century Maltese poets Living people 1978 births People from Pietà, Malta Maltese translators Maltese women poets Italian–English translators French–English translators Maltese–French translators {{Malta-writer-stub