The new biography on Dom Mintoff has been presented to Prime Minister Robert Abela by its author Dr Mark Montebello, a philosopher by profession and a Dominican friar.
During the presentation of the book – The Tail that Wagged the Dog – the Prime Minister remarked that, “it is not a coincidence that Manwel Dimech’s foremost biographer is also Dom Mintoff’s, for the ideological and political continuum between the two require a single reading.”
Fr. Mark emphasised that there exists a national need for the “Mintoffian phenomenon” to be comprehended professionally over and above partisan passion. “Mintoff’s biography,” he told the Prime Minister, “is a vital part of the Maltese’ people history during its coming of age.”
The presentation was also attended by Mr Joe Borg, the Director of SKS. He said that all of Fr. Montebello’s research for this book, which had cost SKS thousands of euro, has been passed on the State through the National Archives of Malta.The book will be on sale to the public next summer.
“The tens of thousands of documents of every type which form this research body,” Fr. Mark told the Prime Minister, “should be accessible to all researchers to build upon the foundation which this biography sets.”
The Prime Minister thanked Fr. Mark and SKS, not only for this work but also for the beneficial service they give to the Maltese nation. He expressed his hope that, for the nation’s sake, research and study on Dom Mintoff will endure.
The biography was launched in Gozo [1] earlier this month in the presence of Maria Bartolo and Charles Hili, Mintoff’s relations from the island.
The presentation of Mintoff’s first scientific biography was held at the Prime Minister’s office in the Auberge de Castille.