Kirsten Spiteri, is a Maltese science-fiction / fantasy writer. Most of his books are aimed at the young-adult audience. The protagonists of Spiteri’s books are often feared and persecuted because of their astonishing abilities or extra-terrestrial origins, and Spiteri uses this as a clear metaphor for racism and other types of prejudice. Another recurrent theme in Spiteri’s books is that good people deserve to escape to a place worthy of them, and in fact, the endings are phenomenally optimistic.
Since childhood, Spiteri has been heavily influenced by Japanese Anime, particularly by those written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. These Japanese influences, distinguish Spiteri from the majority of other Maltese writers. At age 12, he submitted his first ever work of literature about the extinction of dinosaurs, to a monthly school magazine named Sagħtar, and it was published. In addition, he also wrote some poems, a number of scripts for short films, and letters which were eventually published by local newspapers like The Malta Independent and Malta Today.
He is the winner of the Young-Adult Category of the 2017 London Book Festival with his first book, The Wave. He also received Honorable Mentions in Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
On a more personal note, Kirsten Spiteri is the eldest amongst five siblings. He was raised in Bormla, a double-fortified harbour city in the South-Eastern region of Malta. From 2007 to 2009, he attended the Institute of Business and Commerce, within the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology, where he attained his qualifications in Insurance Studies awarded to him by The Chartered Insurance Institute of London. He is a Claims Supervisor by profession with over nine years of experience.
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