I am told that this is a landmark work of Maltese literature, originally published in 1973. A gift from a Maltese colleague.
This is either a novel masquerading as history, or history masquerading as a novel. Since I enjoy both history and novels (witness the summer selection), this is fine by me. The book is centred on a simple Maltese priest, Dun Salvu, nevetheless of noble Maltese lineage, who finds himself and his vocation under the bombs of World War II during the surprisingly pitiless siege of Malta. Surprising to me anyway, as, though I knew about Malta holding out in the War, I had no idea how brutal the siege actually was. Historically, the novel makes that point extremely well, while interspersing the text with episodes of Maltese history demonstrating that dogged resistance in the face of often gruesome suffering is basically what the Maltese do.
As a narrative, the novel veers quite surprisingly. For much of it's length one seems to be in the presence of a relatively uncomplicated world view, where faith and the old values vanquish all, to the extent that you build this assumption into the reading of the book. However, Dun Salvu reserves quite as few surprises for the reader in the last quarter of the book (significantly also the last forty days - and nights - of the narrative) which do not turn out in the straightforward manner one might expect. Indeed, the ending of the novel leaves many narrative questions open and issues unresolved. By then, to put it in a nutshell, we know that Malta will make it, but are left wondering about the fate, spiritual and temporal, of several of the main characters, including the valiant priest, to whom, by this stage, we have become quite attached...
Recommendation? Curious about Malta and her self-image? Then this is for you. Try not to be put off by the small print packing the 400+ pages - this is really a very readable and flowing book. The novel has a memorable and, as I say, ultimately surprising and even ambiguous central character, but does rather leave the reader high and dry at the end - unless of course this is really more about Malta then any of its characters.
This is either a novel masquerading as history, or history masquerading as a novel. Since I enjoy both history and novels (witness the summer selection), this is fine by me. The book is centred on a simple Maltese priest, Dun Salvu, nevetheless of noble Maltese lineage, who finds himself and his vocation under the bombs of World War II during the surprisingly pitiless siege of Malta. Surprising to me anyway, as, though I knew about Malta holding out in the War, I had no idea how brutal the siege actually was. Historically, the novel makes that point extremely well, while interspersing the text with episodes of Maltese history demonstrating that dogged resistance in the face of often gruesome suffering is basically what the Maltese do.
As a narrative, the novel veers quite surprisingly. For much of it's length one seems to be in the presence of a relatively uncomplicated world view, where faith and the old values vanquish all, to the extent that you build this assumption into the reading of the book. However, Dun Salvu reserves quite as few surprises for the reader in the last quarter of the book (significantly also the last forty days - and nights - of the narrative) which do not turn out in the straightforward manner one might expect. Indeed, the ending of the novel leaves many narrative questions open and issues unresolved. By then, to put it in a nutshell, we know that Malta will make it, but are left wondering about the fate, spiritual and temporal, of several of the main characters, including the valiant priest, to whom, by this stage, we have become quite attached...
Recommendation? Curious about Malta and her self-image? Then this is for you. Try not to be put off by the small print packing the 400+ pages - this is really a very readable and flowing book. The novel has a memorable and, as I say, ultimately surprising and even ambiguous central character, but does rather leave the reader high and dry at the end - unless of course this is really more about Malta then any of its characters.
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