In Tune With City Life

In Tune With City Life by Rena Balzan is the English translation of Fiż-Żifna ta’ l-Ibliet. This novel was translated by Antoinette Pace.

Iris, a young woman whose life is uprooted from relative conformity, plunges into life-changing experiences in Rena Balzan’s novel, In Tune With City Life. Unfolding as an autobiography narrated in the third person, Iris’s reminiscing about her past, and eventually her present, reveals her stream of thoughts as she tries to adapt to the changing circumstances of her life.

In this novel of contrasts, Iris navigates through two polar opposite cities, Alfa and Gamma. Despite the social differences in both cities, the gender issue is prevalent throughout the novel. As Iris progresses along the tortuous pathway to maturity and self-realisation, her emancipated consciousness is explored in terms of her expectations of the changing social role of women in the world today. Particularly challenging for her is the role of being a single mother whose career and personal life are often at odds with each other.

As the novel evolves, her love story with the one man in her life, Cosmo, unfolds in the background. Meanwhile, Iris proceeds with her struggles to fulfil her existence in her relationship with herself and with others.