Id-Dipartiment tal-Malti għandu numru ta’ pubblikazzjonijiet dwar Mikiel Anton Vassalli.

Kliem Malti Qadim

Wara s-sejba tal-Kantilena, l-awtur kien għamel madwar 40 sena jqalleb id-dokumenti nutarili u minnhom jislet it-toponimi li wara sabu posthom fil-magnum opus tiegħu. Matul dil-ħidma kbira, ġie wiċċ imb wiċċ ma’ madwar 100 kelma Maltija u ġabarhom. Kull kelma jirriproduċiha u jqegħedha fil-kuntest tad-dokument miktub ġeneralment bl-Isqalli jew il-Latin, u jerġa’ jfisser kollox bil-Malti. Il-kliem li kien marbut ma’ element materjali li m’għadux magħruf biżżejjed fostna, meta kien possibbli illustrah b’ritratt, ngħidu aħna l-ġifna maġenb il-bir.

Mill-qoxra:

F’dan il-ktieb Godfrey Wettinger l-ewwel jagħtina studju li kien ħejja għall-Place-names of the Maltese Islands (2000). B’dan l-istudju seta’ jsolvi xi problemi li ltaqa’ magħhom fit-tifsir ta’ xi ismijiet ta’ mkejjen. It-tieni studju jgħarbel il-kliem kollu bil-Malti li ltaqa’ miegħu fit-tiftix li għamel fl-arkivji ta’ Malta, kliem li min kitbu mijiet ta’ snin ilu ma setax isibu jew ma kienx jafu bl-ilsna l-oħra li kien qed juża, bħal-Latin, l-Isqalli jew it-Taljan. Illum għadd ġmielu minn dan il-kliem beda jintesa u jintilef. B’hekk il-kittieb qed jgħin biex dan il-kliem jerġa’ jieħu l-ħajja u ma jintesiex.

Minn Fomm Vassalli

Meta David Agius Muscat kien qed iqalleb il-manuskritti ta’ Panzavecchia fl-Arkivju tal-Katidral, l-Imdina, sab xi noti fuq l-arrest ta’ Vassalli, il-qagħda tiegħu l-ħabs, u deskrizzjoni ta’ kif Vassalli u sħabu sabu ruħhom Korsika. Skont Panzavecchia, dawn in-noti ġabarhom minn fomm Vassalli. Sejba oħra mhux mistennija kienet l-avviż tal-bidu tal-lezzjonijiet tal-Malti fl-Università: fih insibu deskrizzjoni qasira ta’ nisel il-Malti, il-jiem tal-lezzjonijiet u l-ħin, u tagħrif fuq l-għalliem.

An Enlightened Maltese Reformer

Bijografija aġġornata ta’ Vassalli miktuba għal udjenza internazzjonali. L-awtur jipprovdi kuntest storiku wiesa’ biex joħroġ l-element innovattiv fil-ħidma ta’ Vassalli, speċjalment l-interess tiegħu fil-qasam edukattiv.

Mill-qoxra:

Adversity assailed him continually but somehow he always succeeded to regain the fire of his youth, the best warmth of his genius and the greatest strength of his enterprising passion. We are in the presence of a giant individual, who displayed remarkable courage and daring, a brilliant mind and a great heart… Perversity diminished none of his defiant vitality and the fearlessness of his thought. He realised that his adversaries could take everything from him except his mind and heart. But he still had control over those things and he decided not to give them away. Only the lower classes were proud of their language and sang folk songs. But to claim for them any literary merit was to count merciless ridicule. Nevertheless, he continued to defend his mission just as a faithful soldier holds the post which has been committed to his keeping. He was the sole witness of the struggle within him and he could have ignored his conscience to go on. That was impossible because of all witnesses that was the one before whom this deeply human man most feared to blush.