Maltese is not an international language with millions of people vying to study and embrace its cultural context, yet one person – a foreigner – fell in love with its Semitic heritage and chose to not only learn it, but contribute to its written and poetic verse.

The web is swamped with stories of foreign nationals travelling to live in other countries, refusing to integrate, and choosing to live within a small community comprised of people of their own nationality.

The UK is one such example, where immigrants from India and Pakistan have created mini communities. On the face of it, this tends to be quite rational: travelling to an unknown country with such different traditions and culture and close to nothing in common, one tends to associate with the familiar.

Walid Nabhan, who is of Palestinian origin, lived in Jordan and then travelled here, to Malta, to further his studies. What could very well set this man apart from most was his ability to not only integrate in Maltese society, but to live, breathe and touch Maltese culture. After all, why live in another country only to remain living in the familiar? He began to read Maltese literature and, slowly but surely, has become an experienced and published writer, well-versed in the Maltese language. In fact, he himself has written a number of books in Maltese, thus contributing to Malta’s literary society.

From refugee to established writer

Now with three published books to his name, and the fourth and fifth due to be released later this year, Walid came to Malta as a student in 1990. He fell in love with the country and remained here. “An ability to write is something you are born with” he says. “At the time, although the internet was around, it wasn’t available on the same scale that it is now” he says, so familiarising himself with Maltese helped him communicate.

“It was more like re-encountering rather than learning it. Most of the Semitic content in Maltese is very similar to Arabic. Although some fine-tuning might be needed at a times, the stunning similarity is there. Also, the conjugation of verbs in Maltese is identical and its roots are very ancient. The Semitic content of the language is actually its core. It is the throbbing heart of the language. I have almost always found a Semitic equivalent for every word I looked for in the dictionary – which disperses any notion that this language is limited. Latinisation was a sort of luxury, though historically and culturally inevitable”.

The very first book Walid read in Maltese was written by Oliver Friggieri. “I was surprised by the Arabic content in the Maltese language, given that the written words differ greatly”.

Walid was born in Amman, Palestine, to a refugee family, and when he was young his family left Palestine and moved to Jordan.

“My passion for books began with my father telling us stories. Not only was he a great story-teller, but he used to add on to the stories himself, making us visualise the events unfolding in our imagination. I was lucky to come across a UN library, a small library, run by a very friendly woman to whom I am indebted. She always chose the right book to recommend, sometimes extending the time allowed for a book to be lent out. When I grew up, I began to feel the urge to write my own story and that was the starting point for me. At the end of the day, writing comes from a passion for reading and one’s imagination,” Walid says.

“The first book I wrote in Maltese was Lura d-Dar u grajjiet ohra li ma grawx. 2009. It is a collection of short stories, some of which are shocking – perhaps because of their flagrant truthfulness. Truth can be shocking, no? Even in its simplest form, even when it has always been in front of our eyes. The true challenge in Lura d-Dar was primarily linguistic. Language is not only made up of words or sounds, but is compiled from an entire culture. Each word carries certain cultural residues and attachments that are not known to amateurs, nor to the best foreign researchers. One has to really live the language, to breathe it, to hope and dream in it at night, before daring to address the audience of that language.”

So what is the thought process behind Walid’s writing? “Well – it depends. The chemistry of a poem, for instance, is different from that of novel. Before I elaborate any further, you have to establish your own boundaries and definition of what is poetry and what isn’t. It really has become difficult to distinguish what true poetry is, what is considered to be good and bad poetry, black or white.”

I believe liberty will prevail

Before coming to Malta, Walid served as a soldier in the Jordanian army. “I was trained very well. Luckily, I was never deployed or sent to war. What was interesting was that they taught us everything about war, but didn’t actually wage it – rather they avoided it. It is a beautiful strategy. War is a game played by the lowest of the low”.

Sipping his coffee, Walid began to shift position in his seat and gave his opinion on the Arab Spring. “In my personal opinion, a rather large-scale event has transpired. For the first time in my life I have witnessed the Arab people saying ‘no’ to oppression and standing up for their rights. Although, at the time, it was terrible and painful to see such acts of violence, I believe liberty will come to the forefront and prevail.

“Something has changed and, in the long run, I believe things will settle down. There is this transitional period which is very crucial, and this is where the Arab world currently stands, even though it is, at this moment, in a rather devastating state. We are witnessing fierce resistance and attempts to pull the region back to the old ways, which to a certain extent has partially occurred in Egypt with the old guard gaining power. We are witnessing a historical event in the region.

“Islam is a very complex entity, harbouring many different opinions. Those people [the extremists] of course, will not dominate. This is happening due to the fragility of the situation in the Middle East. Islam is a moderate religion and, like anything moderate, can be taken to the extreme. The region has been diverse for thousands of years. I don’t think the mechanism of the area would allow for those people to remain powerful for a long period of time due to the collective injustice. They have a form of coalition, support of the tribes who are oppressed in Iran and Syria, but in the long run I believe the region will settle because it has to be a democracy. There is no place for undemocratic societies in this world: sooner or later they have to go,” Walid added.

“My next book is due out in two weeks’ time. It’s a collection of poetry entitled Fi triqti Lejha. It’s my first poetry publication and thus my first ‘self-portrayal’. Poetry is different. It’s not about narrating; not about witnessing and recording; not about crying or singing. It’s much, much more.”

Fi Triqti Lejha is scheduled for release during the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival 2014, which will take place at the Msida Bastion Historic Garden from 4 to 6 September. This festival, which is now in its ninth year, has become an important literary event in the Mediterranean area. It is organised and run by Inizjamed, with the coordination of Literature Across Frontiers.