Dar Camilleri is launching a book about a Maltese-French corsair who lived through the Napoleonic era.

The Life and Times of Juan Bautista (1772 – 1848): The Maltese Corsair who Founded the First Navy of Argentina, written by Mark Camilleri, follows the incredible story of a Maltese corsair who ended up fighting for Argentina and building its first navy.

Juan Bautista Azopardo was born in Senglea, but as a teenager, he grew up in Toulon,  France, learning shipwrightery and the art of naval warfare. He fought in the French Revolution on the side of the revolutionaries and was promoted to the rank of officer and given French citizenship.

He opted to continue his privateering career with the legendary French corsair Hipólito Mordeille until he ended up in Buenos Aires fighting alongside the locals against a British invasion. Victorious and successful, he was promoted again and given a new home country.

A Francophile and a republican, Azopardo supported Argentina’s May Revolution and, being close to the military’s top brass, convinced his superiors to hand him the responsibility for building Argentina’s first-ever navy. The end result was catastrophic for Azopardo, but his name remains embedded in Argentina’s hall of heroes.

The book launch is being held on October 20 in front of Azopardo’s monument in Senglea at 7.30pm. Everyone is invited.