L-Ewwel Tliet Kotba ta’ l-Istqarrijiet ta’ Santu Wistin

Edited by Ivan Said and Jonathan Farrugia

Translated by P. Ugolin Gatt and Karmenu Vassallo

Considering the enormous gamut of world literature, the Confessions of St Augustine are considered among the most read works worldwide – indeed a bestseller. Readers’ motivations in perusing this book, in its countless translations, are as varied as the readers themselves.

The public of these islands is being gifted with a praiseworthy Maltese translation of the first three books of the Confessions (L-Istqarrijiet). Actually, the masterpiece by Augustine consists of 13 books which can be likened to chapters.

Way back in 1989, the Maltese Augustinian Province had published the complete work, L-Istqarrijiet, namely the full translation from the original Latin, plus introduction and notes – the work of Valent V. Barbara (1920-2005).

The seasoned translator Ivan Said and the renowned patristic scholar Rev. Dr Jonathan Farrugia have taken the wonderful initiative to present the Confessions I-III’s Maltese translation, which was first published between 1956 and 1963, in instalments, in the local Augustinian periodical Santa Rita. This was the combined effort of Rev. Ugolinus Gatt O.S.A. (1908-1987) and Karmenu Vassallo (1913-1987).

In actual fact, Book I of the Confessions was translated by Gatt and largely reviewed by Vassallo, while Books II and III were translated by Vassallo. Gatt masterfully provided – to all three books – a total of 301 notes which are extremely helpful to readers as they digest the text. Unfortunately, Vassallo had finalised the translation of the first eight chapters of Book III.

For the sake of completeness, the remaining four chapters were translated by Ivan Said. Most recall Vassallo as a poet (il-poeta tan-nirien) and a teacher at the Lyceum (1947-1956), and in various civil roles. The finesse of his hand at the translation of Confessions I-III is evident and a precious legacy.

The current work is to be lauded for various reasons. Firstly, the public can enjoy, yet again, a Maltese translation of a work which has been read by millions and which enjoys lasting relevance because of Augustine’s account of his long search for the truth and his thirst for God.

The climax of the recently published work lies in the actual translation of Augustine’s text into Maltese

Secondly, the current editors – Said and Farrugia – provide readers with a treasure trove of precious information. Farrugia dedicates plenty of pages (p.11-21) to explain why Augustine’s Confessions is a work addressed to men and women of all times.

He explores the style and the content of the text. Said narrates (p.23-32) the genesis and development of the current book. The journey is a very long one, commencing in February 1956. Avid Melitensia specialists will appreciate the long list of 45 numbers of the mentioned periodical Santa Rita wherein Books I-III of the Confessions were serialised.

Thirdly, Said proceeds further by writing at length on Vassallo the translator (p.33-51), even offering us some snapshots of comparative analyses of different translations of the same excerpts. Said also delves into the contribution of Gatt as a philosopher and a St Augustine scholar, besides his expertise on the Confessions (p.53-60).

Fourthly, the current work is embellished with a large number of facsimiles of the respective covers or the incipits of Vassallo’s and Gatt’s works (p.49-51 and p.62, respectively), as well as the latter’s manuscripts of the notes accompanying Books I-III (p.108-109, 129-134).

Saint Augustine by Philippe de Champaigne. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Naturally, the climax of the recently published work lies in the actual translation of Augustine’s text into Maltese. It is quite often that Augustine praises the Lord in his Confessions. Many may think that the work is a confession of Augustine’s many sins. Rather, it is his affirmation of God’s love which has accompanied him in the meanderings of life.

In Book I, he writes about his childhood experiences and his misdemeanours, the postponement of his baptism, his schooling, while raising several existential questions.

In Book II, he narrates several accounts on his close brushes with evil, among which the infamous “theft of the pears” episode, and its ethical implications upon him.

In Book III, Augustine talks about his desire for wisdom after having read Cicero’s Hortensius, and his subsequent experience as a member of the Manichaean sect. At the end of this book, he writes about his mother’s dream on his own conversion.

Said’s and Farrugia’s edition of the first three books of Augustine’s Confessions undoubtedly merit a careful and thought-provoking reading. They have enabled us, through their meticulous expertise and dedicated endeavour, to revisit the Gatt-Vassallo translation of a Maltese text which, in its compiled 1956-1963 version, is practically very difficult to come across. Ivan Said and Fr Jonathan Farrugia deserve our appreciation, gratitude and support.

Hector Scerri has been teaching systematic theology at the University of Malta for the last 25 years. He is also the founder-president of the Maltese Patristics Society.