Mark Montebello and Francis Galea have recently collaborated on a book titled Aphorisms, based on a recently discovered manuscript written by Maltese patriot Manwel Dimech during his final days in exile in Egypt at the beginning of the 20th Century. Here they explain the raison d’etre behind the publication.

It is frequently said that the true worth of a person is shown when he or she is laid low. A person might be affected by some impairment of normal physical or mental function, or even stricken by some calamity. Well, Manuel Dimech had both. This was caused by his long agonising exile in a forlorn country. Nonetheless, one thing is certain: such misery and distress never dented his startling moral worth and integrity.

Such a categorical assertion might raise suspicions. It can be taken to be an inflated avowal of some excited fan; or, at best, a rash conclusion. However, it is neither one nor the other. The affirmation is solidly based on documented research, and can be safely maintained thanks to recent discoveries of hitherto unknown manuscripts indisputably composed by Dimech during his exile.

Forgotten manuscript

This discovery came as a total surprise. Few people had thought that anything from Dimech’s hand had survived the ravages of time from the period of his exile in Egypt. Fewer still supposed that he had wrote any extensive work of any major importance. The newly-discovered manuscript proves otherwise. For the first time ever, now we not only have Dimech’s writing from that gruelling period of his life but also one which is a literary work of art.

The manuscript in question would have been lost were it not for the daughter of a labourer who had visited Dimech in Alexandria: Juan Mamo. She had kept them as a cherished memento of her father, who, in turn, had been given the document by the attendants at the hospital where Dimech had passed away a short time before. Dimech died on 21 April 1921 at Victoria Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt. Mamo was requested to return the document, together with other belongings, to the deceased’s next of kin.

Back in Malta, presumably with the permission of Dimech’s wife, Mamo retained the document and prepared it for publication. Though he never published the work, the manuscript of Mamo’s draft copy and a blueprint of it survived. Dimech’s original document, unfortunately, is still missing. Because of this, Mamo’s manuscripts needed proof to attest to their accuracy.

Verification

This verification came about with a further wonderful discovery: another manuscript containing part of Dimech’s own original draft of his document, written directly in English. This proved beyond all doubt the authenticity and reliability of Mamo’s manuscripts.

Essentially, Dimech’s work is a massive compilation of aphorisms in English. He had composed them sporadically during the last three years of his life. Mamo, then, directly transcribed the aphorisms (together with some fables, epitaphs and poems) from Dimech’s collection word for word.

The three manuscripts we now have (one penned by Dimech, and two by Mamo) will be the substance of a new publication which will be issued by SKS Publications, as edited by us, Mark Montebello and Francis Galea. The book is a Typical Edition of the integral contents of all three manuscripts bearing Dimech’s final writings in exile from the period 1917–1920. It contains 2,582 aphorisms, 57 epitaphs and 17 fables. The poems will be part of another publication which will be issued in due course.

Contents

The bulk of the publication contains Dimech’s aphorisms. Nevertheless, the book comes also with a biography of Dimech, and a critical and textual analysis and presentation of the said manuscripts. Moreover, special attention has been taken so that the entire production of the book befits the beauty of its contents.

In itself, this publication sets unprecedented heights to Dimechian scholarship. It can be safely maintained that, because of it, henceforth Dimech will be looked upon in a brand new light. Not only does the publication put forward Dimech’s first known literary work written entirely in English but also lets us in on his moral integrity and intellectual brilliance at a time of tremendous duress. Throughout the texts Dimech’s English is impeccable, his wit cutting, and his acumen staggering.

Dimech’s aphorisms are gems of wisdom in their own right. They deal with everything under the sun, from man’s foibles to world war and politics to religious belief. The insights they proffer can whet any sensible person’s sense of decency, good manners and right judgement. The writings are nothing like anything Dimech had ever written before his deportation and exile during his pubic career. They represent the height of his intellectual endeavour. More forcibly, they reveal a valiant moral character which no spite nor meanness could crush, let alone misery.

Indeed, if one did not know that the aphorisms had been written during a time of great desolation and distress for their author very little before his untimely death, one would have easily taken them for precious little pieces of leisurely meditation. In truth, what clearly transpires from the writing is the mind and spirit of a man who, despite his terrible misfortune, looks at life in a positive light, unyielding in his uprightness, and hopeful of humankind’s future.

Anyone interested in the history of British colonialism, World War I, the Mediterranean and the Maltese islands should find this publication of great relevance. The book might interest also readers of social anthropology, literature in general, and wisdom teaching and modern philosophy.