Literary voices pay tribute at launch of Adambery’s Harmony within

Family, friends and members of Gibraltar’s literary community gathered to mark the launch of Joseph Adambery’s book ‘Harmony within – A musician exploring rhythms through poetry’ recently at the Fine Arts Gallery in Casemates.

The evening began with a moving introduction by Mr Adambery’s son, Michael, who paid tribute to his father’s creative achievements and the values he has instilled in his family.

“You have provided the blueprint, which I will diligently follow,” said the young Mr Adambery, who has just become a father.

And tongue in cheek, he added of his role model: “I do hope that I have as much charisma, joy and hair as he does.”

The older Mr Adambery reflected on the journey of compiling the book, which features poems and songs inspired by imagery and life experiences.

He credited his friend Gabriel Moreno for encouraging him to pursue the project and thanked the Gibraltar Chronicle for its support over two decades as a contributor.

The book, which includes pieces in English, Spanish and Yanito, offers something for every reader, said Mr Adambery, with themes ranging from the environment to freedom and anti-war sentiments.

Mr Adambery emphasised the importance of authenticity in his work.

“If they’re your best words, and these are my best words in this book, then I can defend them,” he said.

“Even if you don’t like them, I can stand by them.”

The book covers more than 100 pages and is colour coded at the edges, with concepts graded from light to dark shades and indexed for ease of reference.

‘Harmony within’ features a foreword by former Gibraltar Cultural Ambassador Gabriel Moreno, and an introduction by Chronicle Editor Brian Reyes on the inside front jacket.

The book is priced at £18, with all profits going to Calpe House.

“I always promised myself that the book would be two things. It would be for Calpe House and it would be in two languages,” said Mr Adambery.

The evening also saw contributions from local poets and performers, who brought his words to life, adding a new dimension to his poetry.

First person up was Alex Menez, who was followed by Rebecca Calderon.

Mrs Calderon also took a moment to thank Mr Adambery for his contributions to culture over the decades.

“Without Joe Adambery coming to every single event, wherever it may be, sitting in the corner of the Kasbah and then coming to the Alameda Gardens, he is always there, no matter how big or small you are, he will come to events that us locals do.”

“And he writes about it in the Chronicle, and he spreads the word, and we're all grateful for that.”

“He nurtures everybody. He brings us up. He doesn't push the ladder down. He brings us up, and he shares our work with people, which means other people could think, oh, Joe said that I'm going to go and see that next time. So thank you, Joe for your support over the years.”

The next readers, David Bentata, Levi Atias and Giordano Durante echoed her sentiments.

Following the poetry reading Mr Adambery picked up his guitar and once again entertained as he has done for decades.