Any invitation to any event taking place at The Storm Petrel Foundation in Attard invariably raises my spirit. I love the place. A well restored traditional Maltese town house in a street with no flats. This is the real Malta.
I was last there to see their splendid Unseen and Unheard exhibition "which shed light on overlooked or previously unrecorded war narratives and microhistories from Malta and elsewhere." Before that I thoroughly enjoyed an exhibition about Oscar Wilde, a favourite author.
It is a house worth visiting and revisiting. Look up their Facebook page and their website and don't miss their next exhibition.
It has the Bernie Mizzi touch. Her dedication to anything she undertakes is evident.
The invitation this time came from Marquis de Piro for the launch of his latest book Let's Face It: Passion, Nostalgia, Humour, Frustration and Sentiment published by Delicon Books, that is the affable and efficient Jason Aloisio. It is illustrated by the inimitable Marisa Attard.
The Marquis has written some twenty-one books so far. Perhaps the most well-known being the two editions of The International Dictionary of Artists who Painted Malta without forgetting Malta - Influence and Patronage which is in 2 volumes. One of my favourites is The Quality of Malta but there are others I love, including the latest two: Melita Darling and Malta Stories from the Life and Times of Jerome de Piro, both absolutely delightful.
Here is a quote from the author's launch speech: "Yes I have laughed, and yes I have known the feeling of sorrow...Let's Face It is a study of what, sometimes, might be nostalgic. It is concocted from legends and memories without trying to push too many idealised, sincere, and loving intentions. On the other hand, I hope you will find in it, critical or not, a lot of affection for the Malta we love. The book contains a hundred and nineteen poems all of which, except for nine, have never appeared before."
The author then read a few poems among them the delicious Ġidba 'L Hawn u Oħra 'l Hemm. He was followed by Marie Lou Coppini and her daughter Francesca Briffa, also an actress, who presented us with the amusing and delectable, Maltese Style, two Maltese women at an auction. Such good actresses.
Let's Face It is divided into five distinct parts: People where you will find poems dedicated to friends, family and others. Princess Nathalie Poutiatine, Mabel Strickland, Mother Marie de Piro who died in September 2001, aged 93. When, about a month earlier, Nicholas asked her how she was feeling, she replied, "Homesick for Heaven."
And here are some touching lines on Dennis Vella and Isabelle Borg who left us too soon. "Let us all try to smile this Christmas Day/The effort may seem hard but on we go/And life proceeds but we shall not forget/Our love of Dennis and of Isabelle/How short a time for friendship then no more/And we are here and they are gone away...
A Ballad for David Arrigo on his 60th birthday sums him up beautifully. David passed away but how can we forget this great personality and his love of vintage cars?
"I know," he told a girl one day
"I'll take you for a ride
I've got a bike, I've got a car
And plenty more beside".
There is also a poem about another local personality, the antique dealer, Pawlu Tanti, who too, in Nicholas's words, "has moved on."
A ballad is dedicated to Antoine Xuereb the great connoisseur whose home is legendary for its quality antiques (and hospitality). Here are a few lines:
'There's Mrs Oh, oh! Don't you know?
They've just sold her a fake bureau; ...
But the Castelletti desk is mine;
It's time you tried my Rothschild wine
There's now a Gobelin where I dine."
Another is a delightful poem about that once darling of Sliema, Fifi Kitson.
The next section is baptised 'Tongue in Cheek'. One of my favourites is The Pull of Lure:
"A man of means liked girls in jeans
He hoped to see them worn quite tight
Without a doubt he loved the sight
He did not go for what was lewd
Was not attracted to the nude
Those Levis - they propelled him
It was just the jeans that held him."
Another favourite is The Ballad of Nicole Hilton Theuma which I heard recited one evening in 2019 at Folly Fantasy and Feeling, at the Salesian Theatre which was held in aid of Save Valletta's Skyline, the St Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral Restoration Appeal and was an immediate hit.
Just to whet your appetite:
"I looked at her - my eyes were set
If ever, if ever, if ever yet
If ever, if ever my pressure rose
Can you imagine; can you suppose?
'I'm only helping out you know,'
She said in a voice so sweet and low
So perfect, angelic ineffably fresh
That my vision was blurred
by my thoughts of the flesh
I started to sense an ethereal aroma
She told me her name was
Nicole Hilton Theuma..."
Ah! Those 'fake' double-barrelled surnames which seem to be sprouting everywhere...
The next section is 'Sonnets.' Some are written in a serious vein. When Sorrow Comes and Visits Us One Day is very moving.
Another one about Peter Cassar Torregiani.
".... Our Peter walks strait in the path of the just
He does what he does with trust and good cheer
He sees to the things he feels that he must
And buttressed by faith he loses all fear."
This surely sums up Peter very well.
There is Faith running through many of the poems but questions too: "Yes make me sense, I'm weak and I am sore
Why did you make me, for what, and what for?"
Questions many of us often ask.
This is a highly quotable book full of gems, full of thought, full of fine sentiments.... And fun too. I love it. Good sized typeface. I keep it on my bedside table. It is an easy read and I go to sleep with a smile on my face.
There is a paperback version of it and a hardback too and it is available at Agenda Bookshops.
Blessings for Christmas. How lucky we are to be here and not in Gaza.
Nicky's face by Marisa
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