The novel Of Craft and Honour and a Templar’s Chronicles by George G. Buttigieg and published by Miller Publications, has been awarded the National Book Prize for 2006 in the foreign language literary prose category.

Besides being a literary work which has been meticulously researched, the jury’s decision gave it the public merit it deserves. Their decision comes only a few weeks after the latest Templar flutter, following the Vatican’s opening of its archive door and revealing the Chinon document. This document has revived world interest in the Templars, and corrected major misconceptions about the Order of the Temple.

In turn, this has brought Of Craft and Honour to the fore. Dr Buttigieg’s book is increasingly being read and discussed by individuals and groups interested in chivalric history, and quoted by internet sites like Clerical Whispers and Templar Globe for its content of Templar lore.

“Whether it is our new European roots or not, it is nice to see the nation giving acclaim to scholarly efforts of individuals in various fields. Far too often in the past, and even recent past, it has been various European sister countries that laud the productions of the sons and daughters of Malta,” said Dr Buttigieg.

The book’s literary merits go further than its Templar subject, as the modern Malta-based story it narrates is just as fascinating as the 14th century saga. Dr Buttigieg succeeded in weaving a plot involving the usurping of the freemasonry for international crime purposes. Besides the main characters, there are also a number of fascinating secondary ones, such as the Maltese detective Pawlu Bonello and the saintly monk Fr Rafael Duca, with his quotations of mystic and spiritual poetry.