An interdisciplinary conference dedicated to Il-Familja de Valereux or Louis Mitluf Ġewwa l-Bosk, a novel by Concetta Brincat, will be held on Wednesday 15th October 2025 at 5pm at Sala Pietru Pawl Saydon (ALT), University of Malta.

Organised by the Department of Maltese at the University of Malta, with the support of the Maltin Book Club and Heritage Malta, the conference will mark the official launch of the work, which is being published for the first time by the Maltin Book Club.

Written in 1919, the novel is now recognised as the first known original Maltese novel written by a woman, preceding Mary Meylak’s Nokkla Sewda by four decades.

Although Il-Familja de Valereux has the appearance of an early twentieth-century paperback novel, it also possesses a number of distinctive features. At a time when Maltese authors were largely translating or adapting Italian and French works, Concetta Brincat appears to have chosen to write an original story within that established framework.

The narrative follows familiar conventions, pitting good against evil through dramatic adventures, disguises, and heightened emotions. Yet within this model, the novel offers moments where female characters assert their individuality, where food and clothing convey social status and emotional connection, and where cultural nuances emerge vividly.

Despite being set in France and Belgium – particularly Paris during the French Revolution – the novel also reflects elements of Ms Brincat’s own life. Born Concetta Sciberras in Laqxija, Birkirkara, she later lived in Constantine, Algeria, during the French colonial period.

The conference will be opened by Prof. Carmen Sammut, Pro-Rector for Student and Staff Affairs and Community Outreach.

Speakers in the first session include Professor Adrian Grima, editor of the novel, who will discuss textual evidence supporting its originality; Maria Simiana, who will explain the transcription process from Ms Brincat’s manuscripts; historian Simone Azzopardi, who will contextualise the narrative within the French Revolution and early 20th-century Malta; Marilyn Mallia, who will interpret the novel through the lens of European popular fiction; and Francesca Xuereb, who will explore the development of the novel’s female characters.

The second part of the conference will feature Fr Ray Gatt OP, who will discuss the religious aspects of the novel; Noel Buttigieg, who will analyse the recurring presence of food and drink; Caroline Tonna, who will examine the social meaning of clothing descriptions; and Annamaria Gatt from Heritage Malta, who will showcase historical garments from the national collection mentioned in the text, including the kabozza.