Dimech’s Lost Prison Poems - Preamble to a life of militancy

The publication of Manwel Dimech’s lost prison poems constitutes a remarkable stage in the long intriguing process throughout which Henry Frendo has been revealing and reconstructing the complex image of this Maltese rebel. Frendo has gradually managed to define Dimech the man and the thinker in terms of what makes him what he now is: a definite point of reference on the path towards Malta’s discovery and recognition of itself as a nation and a state. The various publications by Professor Frendo on Dimech have led to the positive evaluation of a man long forgotten and grossly misunderstood and underestimated.

The discovery and publication of Dimech’s prison poems will further show how consistently has Professor Frendo pursued his research even when it seemed that there were no more doucments to be unearthed and no more facts to be narrated. This collection is indeed a revelation in all respects: it manifests Dimech’s ability in handling Italian and poetic techniques, and highlights his fundamental beliefs, particularly his deep religious conviction and his respect for animals.