Mid-Dinja Ċkejkna Tiegħi. Għawdxin li għadni niftakar
by Pawlu Mizzi and edited by Sergio Grech is available from Klabb Kotba Maltin.
The title of this posthumous work Mid-Dinja Ċkejkna Tiegħi. Għawdxin li għadni niftakar translates roughly as Narratives from my little world: Gozitans I remember. It was written by the late founder of the Klabb Kotba Maltin and Midsea Publications, Pawlu Mizzi.
The book consists of various sketches of Gozitans whom the late writer came across throughout his life, especially during the time he spent in Gozo before moving to Malta, where he was to settle for the rest of his life.
The book has been edited by Sergio Grech who read through the sketches and prepared them for publication with the help of Gozo-based writer Francesco Pio Attard.
In a world that is dominated by information technology and similar modern sciences, an anthropological work such as Mid-Dinja Ċkejka Tiegħi goes down well with many-a-reader.
It makes us aware once again that there is so much more to life than the virtual world that occupies us for many hours a day.
Mizzi’s work also takes us back in time; through his nostalgic perspective of things, he presents to the reader the Gozitan lifestyle as it was about half a century ago.
Gozo, with its double-insularity, has always been different from the main island. The perception through which its inhabitants perceive the bigger world including the main island of Malta, the different dialects, the easy-going mentality, and all the other aspects peculiar to an insular environment, have earned the island of the three hills the nickname of ‘the rewarding extra mile’ idyllic destination.
Although it is now changing quite fast, especially when it comes to its infrastructure and land development, Gozo is still different from Malta.
The lives of simple folk are as attractive as those of the great and the favoured
However, if Mizzi’s Gozo as described in his short biographical sketches was to be transcribed into a real map, it would be almost unrecognisable; such is the transformation that the island has experienced since the years after the war.
On a more personal note, I warmed to the book as I went through the short biographical memories, especially when I came across his note about Ġorġ ta’ Delina, a great-uncle of mine, as well as his write-up about my great-great-grandmother Mariroż, who was a popular midwife.
References to my Baskal, my paternal grandfather, known for his keen sense of humour, abound also throughout the book.
Mizzi’s book about Gozitan personalities is not only an anthropological gem; it is also a literary work that deserves the attention of one and all.
The natural ease with which he presents minute details, the original sense of observation of the various characters he writes about, together with his mastery of local history, enrich the narrative prose that makes Pawlu a very readable author.
Through this book of his, Mizzi has also immortalised some of the much-loved characters that have rendered Gozo a popular, much sought-after destination and an island with its own peculiar identity.
Mid-Dinja Ċkejkna Tiegħi is more proof that history is not always written by the winners and that the lives of simple folk are as attractive as those of the great and the favoured.