Culture
Malta quoted in literature throughout the ages
Drawn to the Maltese Islands' particular idiosyncrasies and the drama inherent in its history, authors have used Malta as a backdrop in literature for centuries.

Lisa Borain
Acts of the Apostles (XXVIII) by St Luke, The Bible
"Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta."

Christianity has almost 2,000 years of history in Malta, brought to the islands by Paul the Apostle in around 60 AD. The apostle was being taken to Rome to be tried as a political rebel, but the ship carrying him and over 270 others was caught in a violent storm, only to be wrecked two weeks later on the Maltese coast. All aboard swam safely to land and Christianity began to spread on the island.

de La Hyre, Laurent. Saint Paul Shipwrecked on Malta. Circa 1620  
The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe (1592)
Albeit the world think Machiavel is dead,
Yet was his soul but flown beyond the Alps;
And, now the Guise 11 is dead, is come from France,
To view this land, and frolic with his friends.
Considered to have been a major influence on Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, The Jew of Malta is a story of religious conflict, intrigue and revenge set against the struggle for supremacy between Spain and the Ottoman Empire, taking place in Malta.
Farewell to Malta by Lord Byron (1816)
Adieu, ye curse'd streets of stairs!
(How surely he who mounts them swears!)
Lord Byron intended to stay in Malta for 20 days in 1809, but was forced to extend due to quarantine following an outbreak of yellow fever in his previous port of call. Following a few miserable days on board, made worse by the humid weather conditions, he was eventually allowed to disembark. His first experience was Valletta's stepped streets, which he found frustrating to negotiate between his limp and September's sweltering humidity. 
Phillips, Thomas. 1813. 
The Moon's a Balloon by David Niven (1930)
'Yells, bells and smells - that's how the Jocks describe Malta,' chuckled Hawkins. 'Just listen to their bloody bells now, Sunday evening is the worst. 
This best-selling memoir by the British actor details the story of Niven's school and Sandhurst days, his posting to Malta with the Highland Light Infantry, and how he escaped the army for a new life in the States. A funny yet tragic tale, the novel details everything from the loss of Niven's father to his natural knowledge of how to lead a good life.
V by Thomas Pynchon (1961)
Winter. The green xebec whose figurehead was Astarte, goddess of Sexual love, tacked slowly into the Grand Harbour. Yellow bastions, Moorish-looking city, rainy sky. What more on first glance? 
Thomas Pynchon’s debut novel describes the exploits of a discharged American navy sailor and the quest of an ageing traveller to identify and locate the mysterious entity he knows only as 'V'. Valletta features prominently as the historical backdrop of the Suez Crisis, mentioned particularly in the novel’s epilogue.
The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat (1973)
Father Salvatore was a simple, lumbering priest, a kappillan serving the poor in Valletta, when war came of the blue skies to pound the island to dust. 
The historical novel set in Malta tells the story of the dealings of a humble parish priest caught in the drama of WWII and devoted to serving the poor and homeless. Nicholas Monsarrat wrote the novel whilst living in the village of San Lawrenz on Malta's sister island Gozo.
Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess (1980)
'The faithful,' I aspirated back, 'are not supposed to read my books. Not here, on Saint Paul's holy island.' 
British novelist Anthony Burgess stayed in Malta as a tax exile from 1968-1970, and clearly left enough of an impression to make its way into his panoramic saga. The novel is based on the 81-year-old hero, Kenneth Toomey, who lives in a house in the village of Lija and who was allegedly loosely based on British author W. Somerset Maugham.
The Information Officer by Mark Mills (2009)
The mellow scent of pine sap came at her clear on the warm night breeze. Tonight, however, it did battle with the rank odour of decay, of putrefaction.
For the people of Malta in 1942, the British Army represent their only hope of defending their lone outpost in Nazi waters. It's protagonist information officer of the British army Max Chadwick's job to make certain the islanders keep thinking that. The locals, we are told, are admired for “their wry humour, their rough savoir faire and their burning faith”.

Lisa Borain
Written by
Lisa Borain
Lisa is a copywriter/editor with an adventurous interest and penchant for all things Malta.

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