Malta’s literary community is mourning the loss of Arthur Gruppetta, the visionary publisher whose work shaped generations of readers and placed Maltese children’s literature on the cultural map. He passed away aged 81.

His son, Chris Gruppetta, announced the news on Facebook, describing his father as the driving force behind Merlin Publishers and a figure whose influence defined the company’s identity. “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.”

Born in Valletta in 1944, Mr Gruppetta began his career as a teacher before taking over Merlin Library and its publishing house, Merlin Publishers.

In 1971, he became the first publisher to release a children’s book in Maltese: Fra Mudest by Charles Casha. Over the years, Mr Gruppetta launched and supported the careers of many of Malta’s most respected authors, including Trevor Zahra, Charles Casha, Carmel G. Cauchi, Clare Azzopardi, and others.

Mr Gruppetta’s mission was clear: To ensure that Maltese children’s books were available to everyone.

His work also broadened Malta’s international connections. In 1966, he brought Ladybird books to Malta, first in English and later, in 1973, in Maltese editions produced specifically for local readers. These were the first Maltese children’s books in colour, an innovation that changed the reading experience for countless children.

This opened the door to a series of collaborations with foreign publishers, bringing translations of international children’s literature to Malta and, in turn, positioning the country within the global publishing sphere.

Another milestone came in 1979, when he published the first-ever workbooks for teaching Maltese in primary schools, reshaping how the language was introduced to children in the classroom.

In recognition of his contributions, Mr Gruppetta was awarded the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika in 2018.

Tributes have poured in from writers, educators, and readers whose lives were touched by his work. One commenter wrote that “he left the world better and more beautiful than how he found it,” while another described him as “a real gentleman.”

One memory also stood out from a social media user: “My childhood memories are full of Arthur being there always with his kindness and support for our dear papa, looking forward to buying school books from Merlin (he always gave us a free book) which started my love for books.”