Storja 2003-2004

Source: Melita Historica : Journal of the Malta Historical Society. 14(2004)1(123-124)

[p.123] Book reviews

Henry Frendo (ed.), Storja 2003-2004 Malta University Historical Society, Malta 2004. pp. 140. Lm 2.50 (paperback).

The first number of Storja was published in 1978 and it now purports to be 25 years old. On the face of it, this appears to be very true but I think that an allowance should be made for the lengthy gap in years between the first and the second numbers for reasons one does not need to delve into and when the MUHS was in suspended animation. Actually, this number is the fifth one, with the intervening numbers having been published in 1996, 1998 and 2001. One must, however, congratulate the MUHS for its courage in resuming its publication after so many years and for setting the record straight in the editorial of the present number. Just as important, this society presented us, in these four editions, with a number of valid and thought-provoking articles.

This latest number is a tribute to the university lecturers and students who have striven, over the last eight years, to keep Storja alive. It includes nine annotated studies, five abstracts from history-related theses, a list of history-related dissertations and theses presented to the University of Malta in 2000 and 2001, and four book reviews.

The leading article by Charles Dalli on 'Greek, Arab and Norman Conquests in the making of Maltese History' discusses how the traditional treatment of Maltese medieval history revolved round the concept of conquest. The author notes how local history was aligned to that of Western Christian Europe and then goes on to discuss Al-Himyari's account on what seems to have been an abandonment of the island after AD 868-9.

'The Falzon Family and the Capomastro of its House at Mdina' is the subject tackled by Professor Godfrey Wettinger who deals with the fortunes of family and house from 1300 to the 17th century. His information on Capomastro Jacobo Dimag is important since he was responsible for the building of the existing façade of the house, including its characteristic windows.

Emanuel Buttigieg's 'Church Bells and Street Fighting: Birkirkara and Don Joannes Matheo Camilleri (1545-57)' highlights the shortcomings of some members of the Maltese clergy in the 16th century who seemed to excel in perpetuating the complete opposite of what was expected of them. Buttigieg also writes about Camilleri's successor, the notorious Don Giuseppe Bellia, who certainly did his level best to continue dragging down clerical reputation to the lowest levels.

Dr Carmen Depasquale - 'French Knights and Maltese Inhabitants in the XVIII Century' - and Professor Henry Frendo's 'Czars, Knights and Republicans: The [p.124] Malta Question in Paul I's Time' deal with Malta's relations with France and Russia respectively. Dr Carmel Vassallo's 'Maltese Entrepreneurs in Spain 1750s-1850s: Some Lessons for the Present' achieves exactly what the title implies. It is another feather in the cap of this author who has contributed so much new material over the years in the field of Maltese economic activity in Spain.

'Parish Clockworks in XIX Century Ghaxaq' is a good foray into village history by Sandro Debono whilst Dr Charles Savona Ventura's 'Early Medical Literature in Maltese during the XIX and XX Centuries' touches a new subject: the nature of medical literature written in the vernacular but which also highlights the great amount of information which medical history provides. The last contribution is Pierre Dimech's 'La fin de l'Emigration Maltaise en Algerie: Circonstances et Causes' where the author attributes the decline of Maltese migration to Algeria to the anti-clerical mentality of the French settlers in North Africa, a point worth being followed up by further research.

Personally, I prefer footnotes to endnotes which, anyway, could have been presented in justified form and standardised, at least for uniformity and better professionalism in presentation. Moreover, a list of abbreviations is a desideratum and I suggest that a comprehensive 'Notes to contributors' be drawn up by the Society and published in the next number. Yet, all things considered, I look forward to the next number which, I hope, will include more contributions by new History graduates.

Joseph F. Grima