Lara Calleja (born 1988) is a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

writer. She was raised in the village of

Marsaskala Marsaskala ( mt, Wied il-Għajn), also written as Marsascala and abbreviated as M'Skala, is a seaside town in the South Eastern Region of Malta which has grown around the small harbour at the head of Marsaskala Bay, a long, narrow inlet also know ...

, and worked in tourism and as a librarian. Her debut novel, ''Lucy Min?'', appeared in 2016 and was nominated for the Maltese National Book Prize. In 2020, she quit her career in tourism to become a freelance writer and translator. Her second book, ''Kissirtu Kullimkien'' (''You Have Destroyed Everything''), won the National Book Prize for new writers. This book also won the 2021

EU Prize for Literature The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL), established in 2009, is a European Union literary award. Its aim is to recognise outstanding new literary talents from all over Europe, to promote the circulation and translation of literature among ...

. Lara is also a playwright; her debut play ''Taralalla'' was staged at the Spazju Kreattiv venue in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

in late 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calleja, Lara 1988 births Living people category:Maltese women writers Maltese dramatists and playwrights