NBC salutes the memory of Arthur Gruppetta, founder of Merlin Publishers 

It is with great sorrow that the National Book Council salutes the memory of a leading pillar of Maltese publishing, Arthur Gruppetta, who passed away earlier this morning. 

Born in Valletta in 1944, Arthur began his professional life as a teacher, before taking over the family business of running Merlin Library, first established by his parents in Blata L-Bajda in 1964. 

Thanks for Arthur’s pioneering efforts following his takeover of the family business, Merlin became synonymous with providing affordable editions of children’s books in English. He subsequently became the first publisher in Malta to release Maltese translations of Ladybird books, marking the first time full-colour books in the genre became available in Maltese.

Arthur then helped create a key milestone for Maltese publishing after releasing the first-ever children’s book in Maltese in 1971 – Fra Mudest by Charles Casha, which remains a beloved classic to this day, spawning many sequels since. 

Through Merlin’s publishing arm, Arthur subsequently helped spearhead the careers of many leading Maltese writers – most notably Trevor Żahra, whose L-Għar tax-Xelter was published by Merlin in 1973. Another landmark moment came in 1979, when Arthur published the first workbooks for teaching Maltese to primary school children, which helped facilitate a change in the way the subject was taught to young pupils. 

Arthur was awarded the Midalja ghall-Qadi tar-Repubblika in 2018 for his services to Maltese publishing (pictured above). 

Arthur’s son Chris took over as Director of Publishing at Merlin Publishers in 2000, a role he retains to this day. In an online post announcing his father’s passing, Chris wrote: “Today Merlin lost its beating heart. Arthur IS Merlin, he created the first ever Merlin books all those years ago, never stopped believing in Maltese books even when the odds were against, and was the driving force behind us all till the very last. Nothing will ever be the same again for us.”

Fellow publisher Klabb Kotba Maltin also released a statement, describing Arthur as a “colleague, gentleman and old friend”, while literary foundation HELA hailed his pioneering efforts to provide high-quality books for young readers, while also acknowledging his successful collaborations with international publishers. 

Award-winning author Immanuel Mifsud paid tribute to Arthur’s substantial contribution to the Maltese literary sector with a heartfelt message: 

“I salute someone who played a key role in our literary history. Mr. Gruppetta, who left us today, founded Merlin Publishers and, thanks to him, brought joy to many children who met Fra Mudest, Nannu Ċens, the children exploring the shelter cave, and many other characters. For this, we remain grateful to him and to the writers he published”.

The National Book Council extends its heartfelt condolences to the family and relatives during this difficult time.