The name of a forgotten historical locality in St Julian's, amazingly kept alive orally for more than two centuries, was recently exploited by academic Charles Xuereb not only to propose the name change of the place but also to write an intriguing modern novel fusing past events with a modern fictitious tale featuring the audacious female character of Bellilote.
A stone's throw away from Spinola, Wesgħet il-Bjar ta' Napuljun, as this small square in Main Street is now called, marks the place where the wells, constructed by the Order of the Knights, supplied Bonaparte's several ships of the Orient fleet with water on their way to Egypt in June 1798. At the time, water was also accessed from wells in the north and south of the Island as well as from Valletta. The St Julian's wells used to collect rain water that flowed down from the then uninhabited Ta' Giorni Hill and sourced a spring that used to spill into Spinola Bay.
The launch of the book, appropriately entitled Bellilote u l-Bjar ta' Napuljun, published by Klabb Kotba Maltin, took place at the new square, which was inaugurated by the Mayor of St Julian's Local Council, Guido Dalli on behalf of all the members of the council, coming from the two main political parties. The ceremony was preceded by a programme, presented by Dr Karen Xuereb.
Who was Bellilote?
Who was Bellilote? In her real life, in May 1798, the newly-wed bride - her married name Pauline Fourès, née Bellisle, nicknamed Bellilote, meaning a young beautiful flirt - joined her French husband on board La Lucette in Toulon, dressed as a male soldier in order to remain with her military spouse. The ship formed part of the fleet carrying General Napoleon Bonaparte's 54,000-strong Army of the Orient to Egypt. In Cairo, while Bonaparte was sobering up from the news of his wife's infidelity, Bellilote came to the rescue becoming his mistress for the rest of the military campaign.
In Xuereb's novel, Bellilote abandons her ship during the fleet's week's lull off Malta in June and falls in love with a young Franco-Maltese wealthy seminarian, François Lhoste, a fictional nephew of the real-life mayor Stanislaw Lhoste, who was assassinated to safeguard public order in Żebbuġ in September 1798. François leaves a diary detailing where, together with his French sweetheart, he hid Saladin's emerald, a promise of his love to Bellilote.
Amulet in St Julian's
The fictionized story of the book, complemented with historical pictures from the tapestry of the plot, is built around a Parisian young couple, Marin Lhoste, descendant of François, and Maxine, who arrive in Valletta on a cruise ship in 2024 and in no time meet a Maltese young lady guide who takes them to an archivist in Valletta. Protagonist Marin soon discovers the existence of the diary and with the intimate collaboration of the guide sets about looking for the family heirloom. His research takes him to London, Paris and Marseille only to realize at the end that the treasure was hidden in St Julian's.
A nephew of the archivist and long descendant of Gaspard Le Marchand, who had acquired the diary for a time during his British governorship in Malta in the 19th century, learns of the diary and swears to lay his hands on the Saladin amulet first.
Critique
Academic Dr David Aloisio, presenting a critique of the book in St Julian's, said that Xuereb's novel is not just historical. He added that the author uses the protagonist and his Maltese guide to comment on Maltese society, the environment, the monumental landscape and the Islanders' collective memory and identity.
Klabb Kotba Maltin's director Joseph Mizzi, who also addressed the guests on the newly-named square, said that KKM has published over 2,000 titles many of them novels by the best writers of the genre in Malta. He pointed out that 19th and early 20th century classic writers of historical novels wanted to show their readers that Malta had its own heroes, representing a cherished country. They bothered less with researching the exactitudes of history. Today's historical novel presents new challenges, more precise research, as Xuereb did in this book.
Monsieur Renaud Lallement, French cultural counsellor, representing the French ambassador to Malta, congratulated the author and St Julian's local council for the event.
On Franco-Maltese cultural cooperation he highlighted several responses of the Embassy to requests from Festivals Malta, Heritage Malta, Spazju Kreattiv and the Malta Society of Arts to invite French artists. France also participated in the Biennale with a Franco-German Pavilion, besides bringing in dance companies to the Dance Festival and Żfin Malta events. French artists are also partners in the Gozo Film Festival and the European Film Festival while in the field of music, there is strong cooperation with Ritmu, the Gaulitana Festival and the Malta Spring Festival. The Embassy also participates in the Malta Book Festival and the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival.
Bellilote u l-Bjar ta' Napuljun may be acquired from bookshops or online via Midsea Books at €18.