Trying to keep the pace with publications from the island of Gozo is becoming quite a feat in itself; it seems as if literature from the “island of joy” is passing through some sort of renaissance and the number of books coming out from the north-western corner of the archipelago is quite encouraging. Lawyer Alfred Grech’s anthology of poems Mix-Xefaq U Lil Hinn is one of the latest books to be published on the island and I would like to imagine that it is slowly finding itself on the bookshelves of poetry readers and Maltese literature fans alike.
Mix-Xefaq U Lil Hinn is the first book of poetry by Alfred Grech of Ta’ Kercem, a familiar face on the island of Gozo and a sought after lawyer within the local community. I have to say that when I began to read through the pages of the anthology I felt enthusiastic; I knew I was going to like the book and go through it more than once. The anthology is actually a mixture of poems autobiographical, spiritual, religious and above all very personal. In fact one should be grateful to the poet for not having taken a step back from publishing his innermost feelings but on the other hand manifesting them in such a beautiful way. Alfred Grech’s book is in my opinion, a diary of the soul, a spiritual journey rendered immortal through poetry, a love affair made public due to the very suffering that it has instilled in the heart of a human being who has become aware that he is also a poet at heart, a singer of experience.
Poetry can have various forms and expressions. However, it is at its best when it is autobiographical. Grech’s poetry falls under this category. Through his verses one can feel that he is accompanying him along the journey of his life. It is not wise to try to interpret poetry or rather run to quick conclusions but I do believe that the poet has been wronged, wronged by the person that he loved most. All poetry is about love but some poetry is about love in the most categorical of ways. Music, literature and painting are perhaps three main mediums through which man can express his deepest thoughts and feelings. In Mix-Xefaq U Lil Hinn Alfred Grech is at his best when he becomes the poet who brings out of his self the pain he has been through because the love of his life has turned sour. His poem Jien min Jien (p.136) is in many ways the top of the iceberg, the surface of an archaeology which has remained underneath the sand for too long a period but is now speaking its own experience. When I read it, it reminded me of Oliver Friggieri’s poem Jekk; although there is nothing in common between the two poems, the first word at the beginning of every stanza is the same throughout the entire poem in both. The autobiographical theme is recurrent throughout the entire book. The main love of his life has been lost, has been put aside perhaps because it has been the source of much suffering and tribulation. Il-Frughat ta’ Mara, the second poem in his anthology, expresses clearly this recurrent pain. By referring to two female characters of the Old Testament, one a heroine, the other a spy, Grech gives colour to his pain which has almost turned into anger; his Judith has turned out to be a Delilah and we all know Samson did not benefit from the latter’s companionship.
The biblical theme can in many ways be considered one of the main subjects visited in the anthology. Alfred Grech is a Christian poet at heart. His Noli Me Tangere evoking John 20: 17 together with the previous poem La Tmissnix are quite a feat in biblical comparison and contrast since the poet uses the image of Mary of Magdala to incarnate a person who must have been very important in his life but who has however disappointed him entirely. It is not Christ who is asking Mary to stay away from him; it is the poet who wants to keep aloof from a lover who has wronged him. This contrast is captivating and radical at best. We do have a proverb in the Maltese about painful experiences; the saying goes Staqsi lill-imgarrab loosely translated as Ask the experienced. Grech’s poems inspired by his past love affair cannot help but remind us of C. S. Lewis’ classic The Problem of Pain which is an analysis of human pain at its worst. Love and poetry go together but when loves goes wrong, poetry cannot remain silent; Mix-Xefaq U Lil Hinn is a clear example. However, his poem Seduzzjoni is one of the strongest in the entire anthology and its importance is not to be underestimated. Other poems inspired by the biblical theme are Fil-Wied tal-Ghadam definitely inspired by Ezekiel 37, Elija and Fil-Bidu Bdiet il-Kelma which might have been inspired by St John’s Prologue.
When I was studying Maltese poetry, as he introduced us students to a new poet, the teacher would always tell us what title that particular poet would carry in Maltese literature. Anton Buttigieg was the poet of nature and Gorg Pisani was the poet of youth and history. Alfred Grech comes across as the poet of Gozo’s most popular spots. His poems written on Dwejra bay, Qbajjar and Hondoq ir-Rummien do not offer aesthetic descriptions of these places, beautiful as they may be, but rather evoke in him mixed feelings and saddening thoughts which he puts on paper. His poem Fi Pjazza San Frangisk is perhaps one of the best. I have to mention en passant Lil Kercem Rahal Twelidi and F’Jum Ghawdex 2011; these are autobiographical and biographical poems respectively and remind the reader of the gratitude Gozitans should have for their past, their roots and their unsung heroes. The latter is my favourite poem in the entire anthology.
Alfred Grech’s first anthology is another gem in the crown of Maltese literature produced by writers from Gozo. Carrying an introduction by Prof. Dr Oliver Friggieri, it is a collection to be cherished and appreciated by one and all.