// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Concetta Brincat a good singer? She's a concerto expert.
Concetta Brincat | |
|---|---|
 Brincat in 1920 | |
| Born | Concetta Sciberras 1870 |
| Died | 1940 (aged 69–70) |
| Other name | Cornelia Melitesi |
| Known for | First female Maltese language novelist |
| Notable work | Il-Familja de Valereux jew Louis Mitluf Ġewwa l-Bosk (1919) |
Concetta Brincat (born Concetta Sciberras; 1870 — 1940) was the first female novelist who wrote in the Maltese language. Her first novel, Il-Familja de Valereux jew Louis Mitluf Ġewwa l-Bosk (transl. The de Valereux Family, or Louis Lost in the Woods), was published in 2025 despite being written in 1919.
Early life and education
[edit]Brincat was born Concetta Sciberras in Laqxija, Birkirkara, Malta in 1870.[1] At the age of 4, Brincat traveled on the Lancefield to French colonial Algeria with her mother Ġuża, her brothers Spiridione and Salvatore, and her sister Karmena for their education.[2]
The family lived in the Arab quarter of the city of Constantine, French Algeria.[3] At the age of 13, Brincat earned her Certificat d’études primaires and returned to Malta in 1885.[4]
In 1890, she married Vincenzo Brincat and together they had 10 children.[4] Her seventh child, Emmanuela (nicknamed Emma), would be the one to pass on her unpublished works to Brincat's descendants, allowing them to be rediscovered a century later.[2]
Writing
[edit]Brincat wrote two novels, neither of which were published while she was alive. Both novels were written nearly half a century before Mary Meilak's seminal work, Nokkla Sewda. Meliak was previously believed to be the oldest female Maltese-language fiction author.[3][5]
While writing her novels, Brincat used a pen name, Cornelia Melitesi. The surname, Melitesi, is likely an attempt to write "Maltese" in Latin orthography. The first name, Cornelia, is likely a reference to the Mother of the Gracchi, also named Cornelia. The use of a pen name implied Brincat's intention for the works to be published eventually.[2]
Her first novel, Il-Familja de Valereux jew Louis Mitluf Ġewwa l-Bosk, was written in 1919 and centered on a Gothic retelling of the French Revolution. It was published in 2025 by Klabb Kotba Maltin, an imprint of Midsea Books.[6][7] According to Adrian Grima of the University of Malta, Brincat's first novel appears to be entirely original, something unique among contemporary Maltese-language novels, which tended to be translations of other works. Maltese historian Simone Azzopardi said that the book's setting during the French Revolution "vividly mirrors Maltese life at the turn of the twentieth century."[3]
The manuscript for Il-Familja de Valereux jew Louis Mitluf Ġewwa l-Bosk was passed down through Brincat's family: from her daughter Emma, to her granddaughter Desdemona, and finally to Nicholas Bonello, Desdemona's husband, before it would be published nearly a century later. Her descendants advocated for the book to be published.[5] The handwritten manuscript was transcribed by Maria Simiana.[3] Adrian Grima edited it, taking into account semantic shifts and inconsistent orthographic choices, and Reno Fenech proofread.[2]
Brincat's second novel was written in 1922. Called Is-Saħħara Nerelis, it is set in the time of Emperor Nero.
Novels
[edit]- Il-Familja de Valereux jew Louis Mitluf Ġewwa l-Bosk (transl. The de Valereux Family, or Louis Lost in the Woods) (1919)
- Is-Saħħara Nerelis (transl. The Sorceress Nerelis) (1922)
References
[edit]- ↑ "Conference on Concetta Brincat, the First Female Novelist". Newspoint. 2025-10-02. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- 1 2 3 4 Grima, Adrian. "Landscapes of Revolution: Concetta Brincat's 1919 Unpublished Novel" (PDF).
- 1 2 3 4 "A 100-Year-Old Dream Realised: Concetta Brincat's Lost Novel Published". Newspoint. 2025-10-27. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- 1 2 Grima, Adrian (2025-03-27). "Landscapes of Revolution: Concetta Brincat's 1919 Unpublished Novel". adriangrima.org. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- 1 2 "Concetta Brincat's dream becomes reality over 100 years later – the publication of her novel". TVMnews.mt. 2025-10-15. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- ↑ "About Us". Midsea Books. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- ↑ "Il-Familja de Valereux jew Louis mitluf ġewwa l-bosk". Midsea Books. Retrieved 2026-09-10.