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Let's Gozo Magazine, July 2007 |
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Gwida Magazine, August 2005 |
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Rih Isfel
"A breath of fresh air in a hot and humid summer.
Mejlak is at his best, depicting the difficulties of being 15 or
16 in a village that is at least 500 years old, and has not changed
much in the meantime. I do not, by any stretch, fall into the age
bracket that this book is aimed at. Yet I am not ashamed to say
that I enjoyed reading it more than I enjoyed reading works of fiction
in Maltese meant for more adult readers. It may well be that I have
not yet grown up, but I suppose it is also because finally young
adult fiction has come of age. This is a book for young people who
want to be treated like grown ups, for grown ups who want to feel
young, and for anyone who likes a good story well told. Whatever
age you are, buy this book and read it. If your parents are still
responsible for what you read, do not tell them about it."
Dr Marco Galea, The Times of Malta
"Mejlak writes in a simple, lucid style reminiscent
of Mark Haddon. Like Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in
the Night Time, Rih Isfel belongs to the cross-over genre appealing
to teenagers and adults alike. I'd recommend Rih Isfel to anyone
wanting to exorcise the mind-numbing Maltese study texts of past
school days. Actually I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good
read."
Dr Claire Bonello, Malta Today
"I'd wholeheartedly recommend Rih Isfel to
anyone who can read Maltese. If for no other reason, just because
it is a rare offering: a highly original, carefully thought out
piece of writing in the Maltese language. I'm mighty glad I found
the time to read it."
Dr Toni Sant, Toni Sant's Blog

Pierre J. Mejlak's Blog
"Not one to rest on his laurels, Pierre J. Mejlak emerges from
the success of his translation of a children's encyclopedia in Maltese
to continue delighting readers with his blog from Brussels. Pierre's
blog recently shifted to bilingual mode, to the delight of all readers
keen to find good writings in Maltese on the internet. As aboutmalta.com's
managing editor, he brings insights from and about Malta from the
perspective of someone equally in touch with the latest trends and
age-old traditions."
Dr Toni Sant
"Mejlak writes in splendid Maltese and his
work proves wrong all those who think that Maltese is only good
for saying hello, cheers and goodbye."
Sergio Grech
"I think Pierre Mejlak has got the potential
to become one of the most important Maltese writers of this generation."
Guze' Stagno
"Having worked with Pierre Mejlak for quite
a few years now, I have been thrilled to follow his coming of age
as a writer. His affair with Brussels seems to have imbued his writing
with a smoke-and-streetlights atmosphere (sans murderers and pimps...
so far); one assumes his next character will be a mix of Bogart
in Casablanca and McGregor in Moulin Rouge keying away at his rusty
typewriter, and his blogposts are a publishing editor's dream of
a works-in-progress. Blending rural Gozo and cosmopolitan Brussels
can be tricky, but in Mejlak's case is working."
Dr Chris Gruppetta, Merlin Library

Enciklopedija ghat-Tfal
"A feast of knowledge thirsting to come out from the pages.
I must confess that I ended up reading the book page by page, as
if I were reading a novel. Reading a book like this in your own
language fills you with pride."
Sergio Grech, In-Nazzjon
"Published a mere month ago, with no launches
or fanfare, Merlin Library's latest Maltese publication - Enciklopedija
ghat-Tfal - has become a massive word-of-mouth success, smashing
first-month sales records for non-fiction in Maltese."
di-ve.com
"It's a runaway bestseller, exceeding all expectations."
The Times of Malta

Stejjer mill-Bibbja
"Pierre J. Mejlak's work was not only that of a translator
(although this alone is already a daunting task), but he also took
care to adapt, simplify and give an authentic Maltese feel to the
entire work."
Trevor Zahra
"If you only buy one book this year, make sure
this is it!"
Tanja Cilia, The Sunday Times

Meta Nstabu l-Angli
"The writing, the story, the illustrations, as well as a high-quality
professional presentation by Merlin Library's production team, have
all resulted in a superb package, one which will surely make Meta
Nstabu l-Angli a milestone in Maltese children's literature of the
21st century."
Norbert Ellul Vincenti, The Sunday Times

Trab Abjad
"As I started reading the first few pages, I suddenly and completely
forgot that I was reading the work of a 14-year-old boy. I was immediately
struck by the details of the plot, conceived with the greatest accuracy,
the very authentic setting and atmosphere of the tale, the light
and sprightly rhythm from one chapter to the next… and above
all, the truly splendid use of Maltese!"
Trevor Zahra
"The book is a solid adventure, well-endowed
with all the elements staple to that and related sub-genres within
juvenile literature. The very nature of the lack of complication,
and his good use of simple (and at times quaint and endearing) language,
will probably make this book a firm favourite in the 7-12 age bracket.
And I do not blame them, because at that age I would have devoured
it and probably reread it a dozen times myself. It is fun, very
readable and will probably be consumed by its young readers in one
sitting. It is as gripping as any Blyton books, which, given the
millions of copies sold by that author, says a lot. Mejlak handles
Maltese well. He has a natural flair for writing that will eventually
bear plots that are much more complex and characters more rounded
than in his debut. And he will handle them with ease, because the
indications are already there. Time will hone skills he already
has in abundance and possibly turn him into a very accomplished
writer. His first book is a very competent effort that will definitely
do what it has set out to do. Make children read it and ask for
more."
Dr Gorg Mallia, The Times of Malta
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