Vincenzo of my Heart, Lou Drofnik’s novel about Vincenzo Borg ‘Brared’

The story of one of Malta’s heroes, Vincenzo Borg, nicknamed Brared, and born in Birkirkara in 1773, is the subject of Lou Drofnik’s rmost recent novel, Vincenzo of my Heart . He was born into a family that lived in Triq Santu Rokku, Birkirkara, who made their money in the cotton industry. .

In the eighteenth century Cotton was a very important crop in Malta Maltese cotton yarn, known for its quality was exported all over Europe It was highly taxed and many laws made sure it was not adulterated with cotton from the Levant Vincenzo, who was also known as Ċensu, started working with his father when he was thirteen and took over the business after his father ’s death

Vincenzo was destined to lead the Birkirkara battalion against the French. He was on his way to Mdina the day the people of Rabat rose against the French That day, as he said himself in his diary, he was fired with a great passion to fight against the hated occupier He hurried back to Birkirkara and formed a battalion of local men It took two years of deadly combat to evict the French from the island and the toll was enormous

Vincenzo was not only a cotton merchant, a warrior, a strategist and a political activist but he was also a philantropist who gave his parish church the magnificent statue of St Helen

Vincenzo of my Heart is published in Malta by Horizons. For those who love Maltese history or who have some connection with Birkirkara this novel is worth reading.

The author, Lou Drofenik is MalteseAustralian novelist and academic She born in Birkirkara, Malta and lives in Melbourne She was a teacher at the Siġġiewi primary school before migrating to Australia in 1962 She is the recipient of three Malta National Book Council Awards, and two of her novels were also awarded the Australian North Central Literary Award