The Literature of Malta front cover 240pp., paperback, 30 illustrations available from: Minima Publishers & Distrib 140 Old College Street Sliema, Malta Phone +356 21324051 Fax +356 21324051 contact directly   Our Language Malta Homepage Dun Karm Psaila Stationed at Malta That's Interesting !? Towns & Villages Our Rich History At Your Service Resources Page Maltese People   View Guest Book Special Feature E-MAIL US Our Own Opinion: This is a study of Maltese Literature with an interesting approach, providing historical facts as well as in-depth study of some works. Cassola has really done it here! This work is one of our favourites. my-malta.com

The Literature of Malta An Example of Unity in Diversity Book Review     MINIMA PUBLISHERS have the pleasure to introduce to you to their latest publication The Literature of Malta - An Example of Unity in Diversity by Arnold Cassola. The republic of Malta, a member of the Commonwealth, comprises the islands of Malta, Gozo, and Comino, which are located in the central Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and Tunisia. This small country, with an area of 316 sq km (122 sq miles) and a population of just over a third of a million, boasts a fascinating history, chequered with diverse foreign dominations and cultural influences, including the Arabs, the Knights of the Order of St. John, and the British. The literary history of Malta thus provides a fascinating insight in the way a national literature developed through the peaceful and harmonious cohabitation of different linguistic families that are normally the expression of diverse and, very often, conflicting cultures. The official languages of the Maltese archipelago are Maltese – a Semitic language written in Latin script, replete with various lexical and syntactic influences from Italian and English – as well as the English language. If we go back to the Middle Ages, and through the last five hundred years or so, we realise that Malta can boast of a truly unique literary phenomenon.   In fact, during the centuries, the literature written by the Maltese has been produced in no less than six languages namely Arabic, Latin, Sicilian, Italian, Maltese and English.   Such a literary-linguistic phenomenon is further enhanced by the fact that these six languages are offshoots of very different linguistic families. The book's running theme is thus the concept of Unity in Diversity: the one and only real, authentic and distinctive contribution which Malta can make in its forthcoming adventure in the European Union. The literature of Malta is characterised by its success in achieving the peaceful cohabitation of opposites in the fields of culture and literature. Arnold Cassola, lecturer of Maltese and Comparative Literature at the University of Malta, is currently Secretary General of the European Federation of Green Parties.   He also lectured at the Universities of Catania [1981-83] and Roma (La Sapienza) [1983-88].   Amongst his publications are The Great Siege of Malta (1565) and the Istanbul State Archives (Malta, 1995), Pynchon, Malta and Wittgenstein (co-authors P. Bianchi, A. Cassola, P. Serracino Inglott), The 1565 Ottoman Malta Campaign Register (with the collaboration of I. Bostan and T. Scheben, Malta 1998), and The Great Siege of Malta and Hipolito Sans' La Maltea (Malta, 1999).   Cassola 's articles and contributions to collective works have been published in various academic journals in Canada, Croatia, France, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Switzerland, and the USA. This book should be of interest to students of Comparative Literature and various other fields, such as Semitic languages and Cultures, Mediterranean Studies, Commonwealth Literature, world literature in Italian and English etc. Price and contact details may become subject to change from time to time Synopsis provided for the site May 2002