Godfrey Bonavia has been telling stories since 1964, when he was a young student entering Primary School writing competitions in Malta. Six decades later, that early habit has grown into a two-volume short story collection, Paraphernalia and Paraphernalia Volume 2, along with a children’s picture book, The Runaway Leaf, all written and designed by Bonavia himself.
Born and raised in Malta, Bonavia has had his short fiction appear in newspapers and newsletters across Malta and Australia, including regular features in the Maltese Association’s monthly magazine. He has lived in Perth, Australia since 1985, where he raised four sons who are now settled across different states, and where he has watched his six grandchildren grow up.
Paraphernalia, the first volume, gathers stories that range from the darkly comic to the deeply personal. In “Metamorphosis,” a quiet, humble man is transformed by a single violent encounter in a crowded pub, a story Bonavia describes as one of the topics “not usually talked about.” Elsewhere in the collection, readers travel from “Bus Ride to Hell” and “Noisy Bells” to “The Island of Filfla,” a tribute to Malta’s coastline, and “Gallipoli,” a story shaped by history and memory. The book has achieved recognition on Amazon, reaching notable rankings in select literary categories: Humor Literary Criticism, Short Stories Literary Criticism, and Native American Literary Criticism.
Paraphernalia Volume 2 continues in the same spirit, with seven new stories including “Golden Tragedy,” “The Craftsman,” “Barracuda,” “The Battle of Malta,” “El Matador,” “The Darkest Tunnel,” and “The Island Girl.” As with the first volume, several stories draw on Bonavia’s Maltese roots and his eye for ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances.
What distinguishes Bonavia’s writing, beyond the plots themselves, is its intent. As he explains in his dedication, the stories are meant for readers with limited time: something to pick up on a bus, during a work break, or while traveling, requiring “the least possible effort” to follow. That accessibility is deliberate. Bonavia, a qualified therapist, writes with an underlying wish to reach people who may be struggling, closing his dedication with an open invitation: “Should you find it impossible to have a listening ear, please do not hesitate to use mine.”
Alongside his short fiction, Bonavia has also turned his hand to children’s writing with The Runaway Leaf, a picture book he wrote and designed himself. The story follows a single leaf that loses its grip on a tree during a strong wind and is swept off on an unplanned journey, a simple, gentle narrative built for young readers and read-alouds.
Both volumes of Paraphernalia are available now on Amazon, Google Books, Barnes & Noble, and Everand, with Volume 1 additionally available through Foyles and Walmart. Readers can follow Bonavia’s work and updates at booksbygodfrey.com.
