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Lino Gauci Borda: Tentuf mill-Memorji. BDL, 2014. 120 pp.
When I received Lino Gauci Borda`s book Tentuf mill-Memorji, I read it within half a day. It is a book full of memories about Fleur-de-Lys, where the author has lived for over 70 years and still resides to this day.
Except for some articles which Gauci Borda, as a candidate for the Nationalist Party (1966-76) and then member of parliament (1976-94) wrote in the daily In-Nazzjon, I had never read anything else authored by him.
In this first book of his, the author describes in detail all that he remembers, from his childhood until the present day, about the development of Fleur-de-Lys which, for a number of years was only a locality which centered around one road, Fleur-de-Lys Rd.
Today, Fleur-de-Lys has flourished and developed.
Most of the fields between the parish church and the Wignacourt aqueduct have been built into lovely residences.
Psaila Street, in the past an insignificant road, in part unsurfaced, has today become a main traffic artery linking Ħamrun to Birkirkara and – as many political candidates on the Birkirkara district will attest thanks to their home visits during election time – is indeed very long.
Gauci Borda describes life at his family home, where he grew with his two brothers, who all made a name for themselves in different fields.
The simple life of days gone by, even if without today’s commodities, features well in these memories. Gauci Borda is old enough to remember the parish church being built; so much so that he remembers playing football with his friends in the plot on which the church was eventually constructed.
He describes Fleur-de-Lys during the war and relates an incident when, during an air raid, a bomb fell in the garden of the house where (former prime minister) Eddie Fenech Adami as a young lad, used to reside.
Luckily it did not explode. He mentions the late Guido de Marco, who also spent some time as a young boy at Fleur-de-Lys during the war.
The book is written in an easy and fluent style. What impressed me most is how the author knows the locality inside out; reading the book, you feel as if you are being taken on a virtual tour of the town under the expert direction of Gauci Borda.
The book reveals the author’s knowledge of the social issues affecting the locality
Most of the personalities he refers to were his patients, whom he visited in their homes.
He refers to many personalities who lived in Fleur-de-Lys and contributed to its development, such as those running small family enterprises producing soft drinks, or the two marble factories in Fleur-de-Lys Road, the grocers and artisans labouring in their shops... most of these characters being referred to by nickname.
The book reveals the Gauci Borda`s knowledge of the social issues affecting the locality and these are enhanced by the memories of the author.
Gauci Borda, probably deliberately, omits any reference to anecdotes or incidents related to his political career.
For the book is not his autobiography. It is a publication about a locality which the author still loves dearly.
Now that Gauci Borda has put some of his thoughts into writing, one augurs that he publishes other writings in the near future.
I have known the author for decades; he is a humble person who avoids the limelight. However, I hope that someday he might write about his experiences in the political field, considering that he served in the House for 18 solid years.
Enough time has elapsed since Gauci Borda retired from politics in 1994, for him to pass judgment on Maltese events and personalities and write about his chequered experiences in public life.
One final remark: all proceeds from the sale of this book go to the Hospice Movement.