The major cities in the civilised world were last week basking in the literary brilliance of Charles Dickens celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of one of the best-loved authors in world literature. Sadly, our capital city, which is preparing for the prestigious honour of being the European City of Culture for 2018 , has been conspicuously absent from these global manifestations, giving the impression that, in the case of Valletta, at least, “culture” is solely synonymous with architecture on which the country is spending millions of euros.
As Culture Minister Mario de Marco pointed out recently, on the appointment of renowned Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja as Malta’s first cultural ambassador, “culture is not just a museum but a living thing”. His remarks were most opportune and should signify that world literature in all its forms is kept in mind particularly in preparation for the great event of 2018.
In this regard, Dickens’ skill and magic can still come to life on this island throughout this year highlighting his undisputed genius.
Held by many to be the greatest novelist during the Victorian period, his inimitable characters are immortalised in books and countless films and adaptations. In fact, the ongoing interest in his novels and stories has never put his work out of print.
Apart from his undoubted literary merits throughout the centuries, Dickens, who was born in Portsmouth, on February 7, 1812 has been hailed for his great concern for social reform, earning the respect and tributes of the great Russian author Leo Tolstoy.
Undoubtedly, this country, though small, has the talent and resource to be able to organise, say, a Summer Dickens Festival to round off other activities in schools and colleges commemorating the author’s life and works. Such events will revive our links with Britain’s greatest novelist who has given so much literary satisfaction to generations of Maltese.
The most exciting representations of the degradation of urban life in mid-19th century England emerge from Dickens’ literary genius at a time when the novel was a vehicle for portraying social problems. His novels teach us more how his society lived and worked in Victorian England than do the textbooks of sociologists of the period. Consequently, it is incumbent on our budding historians to learn more how our colonial masters lived at home in order to pass judgement on their style of living on this island.
In the late 20th century, topics on the squalor and misery of the downtrodden classes were superseded by philosophical ideas about freedom, reason, governance, censorship and so forth, topics still rife in the contemporary novel.
On the local front, it appears that the impetus that used to be on the novel in days gone by is now on drama and we have been regaled with excellent productions both in English and Maltese.
Whatever, a Dickens commemoration in Malta has now almost become a literary obligation after the recent revelation by Heritage Malta that Dickens’ famous essay, The Shipwreck, relating to the tragedy of the Royal Charter on the rocky coast of Wales, was inspired by the brave exploits of a Maltese sailor, Giusi Ruggier.
The National Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa, in conjunction with the British Council (Malta), will be hosting a commemorative evening on February 28 with lectures and enactments, entitled Dickens And The Maltese Seaman.
Let’s hope more commemorative events will follow and that we would not need, like Oliver Twist, to have to ask: Please, we want some more.