Giovanni Bonello: Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for his Contribution to Maltese Literature 2024

The National Book Council (NBC) facilitated an interview with human rights lawyer, historian and former judge at the European Court of Human Rights Giovanni Bonello following the conferring the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 edition of the National Book Prize. An article on his life and works was penned by journalist Andrea Caruana and published in The Malta Independent on Sunday. 

Giovanni Bonello was unanimously nominated for this honour by the National Book Council board and the National Book Prize board of adjudicators. The award was conferred on Bonello for his numerous contributions to Maltese letters, which amount to 35 books running the gamut from art, history and constitutional law, and which made Bonello a five-time winner of the National Book Prize over the years. 

His published works include the acclaimed and voluminous Histories of Malta series, which cemented his reputation as an author of ‘micro-history’ who takes a bottom-up approach to key historical epochs, painting a vivid portrait of Malta from the perspective of the lived experience of some of its more subaltern inhabitants. In Misunderstanding the Constitution (2018), a collection of essays originally published in the Times of Malta, Bonello sharply criticises Malta’s human rights track record, as informed by his twelve years of service as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights (1998–2010). His more recent anthology Blaming it on Eve (2024) strives to redress the gender balance in Maltese historiography by centering the experience of key female protagonists of Malta’s rich historical tapestry. 

Bonello is a Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, and a Companion of the National Order of Merit. 

The National Book Council is proud to honour Giovanni Bonello for his lifelong dedication to enriching Maltese literature and culture. His work has left an indelible mark on Malta’s historical and literary landscape, offering nuanced perspectives on the nation’s past while championing human rights and justice.

As the NBC looks ahead to the Malta Book Festival 2025 next 5-9 November, where the documentary on Bonello’s life and legacy will be premiered as was also the case with past winners, we invite readers to delve into his remarkable body of work, which continues to inspire and educate generations. Through this Lifetime Achievement Award, the NBC reaffirms its commitment to celebrating Malta’s literary giants and ensuring their contributions remain a cornerstone of our cultural heritage.

You may read the full interview on The Malta Independent here.