Eddie Fenech Adami will give a candid account of a career spanning over five decades in an autobiography to be published by Allied Publications later this month.
Dr Fenech Adami, who turns 80 on Friday, was assisted with the writing of the book by Times of Malta editor-in-chief Steve Mallia, who carried out numerous interviews with the former Prime Minister and President to help him describe the events that moulded his eventful life.
Mr Mallia said: “When we started doing the interviews, we were thinking in terms of a newspaper supplement rather than an autobiography, which Dr Fenech Adami had said he would never write. But, as the interviews grew in number, I managed to persuade him that an autobiography was the only logical outcome.
His account is engaging, frank, and occasionally humorous
“For the first time, there will be a book about him entirely in his own words – offering an insight into the man that has not been seen before in print. His account is engaging, frank, and occasionally humorous.”
The book opens with Dr Fenech Adami’s early life, where he describes how he cared for his sick grandfather, before moving on to how he got into politics, where he recounts how he became a Nationalist Party candidate without his knowledge.
Dr Fenech Adami gives a candid account of the problems faced by George Borg Olivier from the late 1960s and the movement within the PN to elect a new leader. He also talks about his numerous encounters with Dom Mintoff and the battles he faced after the PN was denied victory after the 1981 election despite gaining a 51 per cent majority.
Dr Fenech Adami has a vivid recollection of the violent incidents he faced during the course of his career. He recalls the day Labour thugs ransacked his home and beat his wife as well as the terrifying scenes he witnessed during a PN mass meeting at Tal-Barrani in 1986,
He also speaks of his horror at seeing Raymond Caruana lying in a pool of blood and describes the difficult discussions with Mintoff and the Labour government to find a solution to the constitutional crisis that was tearing the country apart.
Dr Fenech Adami details his efforts, on becoming Prime Minister, to rebuild the country and bring about reconciliation. He mentions how he sought to restore Malta’s international reputation abroad, citing the Bush-Gorbachev summit in Malta in 1989 as a key moment.
However, he does not shy away from the difficult moments in his career. He recounts in detail his ordeal when his personal assistant, Richard Cachia Caruana, was stabbed in 1994 as well as other trying moments – not least when he lost the 1996 election and was afflicted by health problems as the Labour government faced mounting problems. He describes encounters with Mintoff during this critical period and also talks of his anger when he was told, after becoming Prime Minister once again, that two judges had accepted bribes.
Dr Fenech Adami also gives a blow-by-blow account of Malta’s EU journey, and the many setbacks he encountered before he finally managed to win a historic referendum. The process was not without its light moments, however, and he shares amusing anecdotes from his encounters with Silvio Berlusconi.
Eddie – My Journey, printed by Progress Press, will be launched on February 21. A pre-publication offer and further details will be announced in the coming days. Proceeds from the book will go to Dar tal-Providenza.