It was in 1967 that the first Fra Mudest story appeared in The Children's Own magazine. On the 40th anniversary of the birth of Charles Casha's lovable literary creation, Guzè Stagno interviews some people close to the Friar.
Fra Mudest is born
Charles Casha (author, Fra Mudest): "It was John Demanuele who, in 1967, asked me to write a story about Fra Mudest. When his father, who was the editor of The Children's Own, fell ill, John had to take over. On his desk he found the Fra Mudest logo, but had no idea what his intentions were when he made this logo. Therefore he asked me to develop this character any way I fancied. Little did I imagine that the first story was going to be such a great success."
John Demanuele (TV presenter): "The Children's Own was a bilingual paper for schoolchildren. It was practically the only source of reading material that Maltese children could lay their hands on in the 1950s. Practically, most of today's adults were, at some point during their school life, acquainted with The Children's Own. One notable contributor was Francis Ebejer, but there were countless others who are today household names in the literary scene. It was edited by my father, Joseph M. Demanuele, until he suffered a devastating stroke. I took over for a number of years, before ending its publication sometime in the 1970s."
Trevor Zahra (author, Il-Pulena tad-Deheb): "By today's standards it (The Children's Own) was a very unassuming magazine, but it was the only children's magazine in Maltese (or rather, the only bilingual one). It was a labour of love by Guzi Demanuele, its creator, editor, publisher and distributor. I believe The Children's Own published the first ever cartoon strips in Maltese. Aged 12, I published my first attempts at poetry in The Children's Own. I used to devour it, stories, pictures, ink and all."
John Demanuele: "One day, while going through some 'blocks' which my father had commissioned from Italy to use in the paper, I came across a banner featuring this rotund monk, with the name Fra Mudest printed across. I presumed that my father had intended writing stories about this jolly monk. I am not really cut out to be a writer, so I contacted Charles, asking him to write a humorous story about this character. Which he did. I liked what he wrote, since it was the way I imagined Fra Mudest would be."
Fra Mudest gets published
Arthur Gruppetta (publisher, Merlin Library): "Charles Casha was a personal friend. When he approached me with the idea of publishing the Fra Mudest stories in a single book, I agreed. It was high time for someone to publish a leisure book, as opposed to a textbook, for children in Maltese. Since then there have been numerous reprints and new editions of the original Fra Mudest, as well as three sequels."
Charles Casha: "The first book was published in 1971 by Merlin. It was their first publication and a great success. So far four books have been published (13 prints in all) and the number of these stories goes up to 86. Fra Mudest was also the beginning of an era for children's books, together with Trevor's Il-Pulena tad-Deheb and others which followed a little later."
Trevor Zahra: "Both my first adventure story, Il-Pulena tad-Deheb, and Fra Mudest were published simultaneously, in February 1971. Il-Praspar ta' Kuncett u Marinton had already been broadcast on TV, in 1966, in a new children's programme called Pagni Mzewqa, accompanied by Joseph Mallia's delightful illustrations. In those days, Temi Zammit and Gorg Zammit were my greatest inspirations."
Arthur Gruppetta: "Fra Mudest and Il-Pulena tad-Deheb were published during the same period. If memory serves me right, Fra Mudest was published between February and March 1971. The first edition of Il-Pulena tad-Deheb, which was self-published by Trevor himself, came out around that time, too. At the time they were first published, the stories of this lovable Friar reflected a village reality that still existed in Malta. Nowadays, I believe it is a way for young children - for whom the situations and realities in the Fra Mudest series are alien - to, as it were, step into another world from a bygone era."
Fra Mudest and his pint of no return
Arthur Gruppetta: "The first Fra Mudest was published in 1971. Political correctness at the time was rather different to what it is today, so I don't think that would have been an issue at the time. Just as the portrayal of older people in fiction has changed over the years, so has the portrayal of social pastimes like drinking."
Trevor Zahra: "Should children be reading about such a character in the year 2007? Yes, why not? We still read The Merchant of Venice, a very racist play, to say the least. And the Harry Potter saga is littered with abject characters. I don't believe in political correctness. True art goes beyond all that. But it's important that such stories are presented in their correct perspective, and children are also introduced to other alternatives."
Sedqa (Agency Against Drug And Alcohol Abuse): No comment.
Life after 40
Chris Gruppetta (director, Merlin Library and son of Arthur): "A new book commemorating Fra Mudest's 40th anniversary is scheduled for September. It will feature nine new stories and various snippets of information regarding the Friar and Charles Casha, its author, and will also include the original covers, the first press cuttings from the 1970s, and an interview by Sergio Grech. The new stories will be illustrated by Frank Schembri."
Charles Casha: "Fra Mudest is a character I love. I enjoyed writing those stories. When I write, I write because I enjoy it. Writing for me is not a way to make a living, nor is it a hobby. It is a must, like food. Whether successful or not, writing gives me great personal satisfaction. I have three families which I treasure in life. These are my real family, my friends and colleagues with whom I worked throughout my long career as a teacher, and the characters I have created in my books."
• Mr Stagno is the author of two novels. He got married earlier this month, much to the despair, he likes to think, of thousands of single women across the country.
Fra Mudest is born
Charles Casha (author, Fra Mudest): "It was John Demanuele who, in 1967, asked me to write a story about Fra Mudest. When his father, who was the editor of The Children's Own, fell ill, John had to take over. On his desk he found the Fra Mudest logo, but had no idea what his intentions were when he made this logo. Therefore he asked me to develop this character any way I fancied. Little did I imagine that the first story was going to be such a great success."John Demanuele (TV presenter): "The Children's Own was a bilingual paper for schoolchildren. It was practically the only source of reading material that Maltese children could lay their hands on in the 1950s. Practically, most of today's adults were, at some point during their school life, acquainted with The Children's Own. One notable contributor was Francis Ebejer, but there were countless others who are today household names in the literary scene. It was edited by my father, Joseph M. Demanuele, until he suffered a devastating stroke. I took over for a number of years, before ending its publication sometime in the 1970s."
Trevor Zahra (author, Il-Pulena tad-Deheb): "By today's standards it (The Children's Own) was a very unassuming magazine, but it was the only children's magazine in Maltese (or rather, the only bilingual one). It was a labour of love by Guzi Demanuele, its creator, editor, publisher and distributor. I believe The Children's Own published the first ever cartoon strips in Maltese. Aged 12, I published my first attempts at poetry in The Children's Own. I used to devour it, stories, pictures, ink and all."
John Demanuele: "One day, while going through some 'blocks' which my father had commissioned from Italy to use in the paper, I came across a banner featuring this rotund monk, with the name Fra Mudest printed across. I presumed that my father had intended writing stories about this jolly monk. I am not really cut out to be a writer, so I contacted Charles, asking him to write a humorous story about this character. Which he did. I liked what he wrote, since it was the way I imagined Fra Mudest would be."
Fra Mudest gets published
Arthur Gruppetta (publisher, Merlin Library): "Charles Casha was a personal friend. When he approached me with the idea of publishing the Fra Mudest stories in a single book, I agreed. It was high time for someone to publish a leisure book, as opposed to a textbook, for children in Maltese. Since then there have been numerous reprints and new editions of the original Fra Mudest, as well as three sequels."Charles Casha: "The first book was published in 1971 by Merlin. It was their first publication and a great success. So far four books have been published (13 prints in all) and the number of these stories goes up to 86. Fra Mudest was also the beginning of an era for children's books, together with Trevor's Il-Pulena tad-Deheb and others which followed a little later."
Trevor Zahra: "Both my first adventure story, Il-Pulena tad-Deheb, and Fra Mudest were published simultaneously, in February 1971. Il-Praspar ta' Kuncett u Marinton had already been broadcast on TV, in 1966, in a new children's programme called Pagni Mzewqa, accompanied by Joseph Mallia's delightful illustrations. In those days, Temi Zammit and Gorg Zammit were my greatest inspirations."
Arthur Gruppetta: "Fra Mudest and Il-Pulena tad-Deheb were published during the same period. If memory serves me right, Fra Mudest was published between February and March 1971. The first edition of Il-Pulena tad-Deheb, which was self-published by Trevor himself, came out around that time, too. At the time they were first published, the stories of this lovable Friar reflected a village reality that still existed in Malta. Nowadays, I believe it is a way for young children - for whom the situations and realities in the Fra Mudest series are alien - to, as it were, step into another world from a bygone era."
Fra Mudest and his pint of no return
Arthur Gruppetta: "The first Fra Mudest was published in 1971. Political correctness at the time was rather different to what it is today, so I don't think that would have been an issue at the time. Just as the portrayal of older people in fiction has changed over the years, so has the portrayal of social pastimes like drinking."Trevor Zahra: "Should children be reading about such a character in the year 2007? Yes, why not? We still read The Merchant of Venice, a very racist play, to say the least. And the Harry Potter saga is littered with abject characters. I don't believe in political correctness. True art goes beyond all that. But it's important that such stories are presented in their correct perspective, and children are also introduced to other alternatives."
Sedqa (Agency Against Drug And Alcohol Abuse): No comment.
Life after 40
Chris Gruppetta (director, Merlin Library and son of Arthur): "A new book commemorating Fra Mudest's 40th anniversary is scheduled for September. It will feature nine new stories and various snippets of information regarding the Friar and Charles Casha, its author, and will also include the original covers, the first press cuttings from the 1970s, and an interview by Sergio Grech. The new stories will be illustrated by Frank Schembri."Charles Casha: "Fra Mudest is a character I love. I enjoyed writing those stories. When I write, I write because I enjoy it. Writing for me is not a way to make a living, nor is it a hobby. It is a must, like food. Whether successful or not, writing gives me great personal satisfaction. I have three families which I treasure in life. These are my real family, my friends and colleagues with whom I worked throughout my long career as a teacher, and the characters I have created in my books."
• Mr Stagno is the author of two novels. He got married earlier this month, much to the despair, he likes to think, of thousands of single women across the country.