Malta — books & literature

The story of Malta

Malta's story stretches back further than almost any other nation's: by around 3600 BCE, its Neolithic inhabitants were raising the Ġgantija temples on Gozo, among the oldest free-standing stone structures on Earth. Phoenician traders settled the islands around the 8th century BCE, and Malta later passed to Carthage, then to Rome in 218 BCE , tradition holds that the apostle Paul was shipwrecked here around 60 CE, seeding Malta's enduring Catholic identity. Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, and Sicilian and Spanish rulers followed, until Emperor Charles V granted the islands to the Knights of St John in 1530. The Knights famously withstood the Ottoman Great Siege of 1565 and built the fortress capital Valletta. Napoleon seized Malta in 1798, but Britain took control in 1800 and made it a Crown Colony in 1814, prizing its harbours. Malta earned the George Cross for its endurance under siege in the Second World War, won independence in 1964, became a republic in 1974, and joined the European Union in 2004 , a tiny archipelago that has repeatedly sat at the centre of Mediterranean history.

Timeline — key moments

1. circa 3600 BCE

   Ġgantija megalithic temples built on Gozo, among the oldest free-standing structures in the world.

2. circa 700 BCE

   Phoenician settlers establish trading colonies on Malta.

3. 218 BCE

   Malta comes under Roman rule after the Second Punic War.

4. circa 60 CE

   Tradition holds the apostle Paul is shipwrecked on Malta, introducing Christianity.

5. 870

   Aghlabid Arab conquest reshapes the island’s language and agriculture.

6. 1530

   Emperor Charles V grants Malta to the Knights Hospitaller (Knights of St John).

7. 1565

   The Knights repel the Ottoman Great Siege of Malta.

8. 1798

   Napoleon Bonaparte captures Malta from the Knights.

9. 1814

   Malta becomes a British Crown Colony under the Treaty of Paris.

10. 1964

    Independence from Britain (21 September); republic follows on 13 December 1974.

11. 2004

    Malta joins the European Union.

Top 10 things to know about Malta

1. Malta is one of the smallest and most densely populated countries in the world.
2. Valletta, the capital, is one of the smallest capital cities in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
3. The Ġgantija temples on Gozo predate Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.
4. Malta’s flag carries the George Cross, awarded for the country’s WWII resilience.
5. Maltese is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet and is an official EU language.
6. The Knights of St John repelled a massive Ottoman invasion in the Great Siege of 1565.
7. Malta joined the EU in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2008.
8. The archipelago comprises three inhabited islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino.
9. Malta has one of the highest densities of UNESCO World Heritage Sites per capita anywhere.
10. English and Maltese are both official languages, a legacy of British colonial rule (1814-1964).

Famous people from Malta

Say it in Malta's language

Did you know?

• ★Malta’s flag is one of the very few in the world to display a military decoration , the George Cross, awarded by King George VI in 1942.
• ★The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is a Neolithic underground burial complex cut three levels into limestone, one of the only prehistoric underground temples known anywhere.
• ★Malta has no permanent rivers or lakes; its fresh water comes from rainfall and underground aquifers.

Malta culture

• Brightly painted luzzu fishing boats, often marked with an "Eye of Osiris" for protection, still work Malta’s harbours.
• Village feasts (festi) honouring local patron saints fill the summer calendar with fireworks, band marches, and street processions.
• Maltese cuisine blends Sicilian, North African, and British influences; pastizzi (flaky pastry filled with ricotta or peas) is a beloved everyday snack.
• Ftira, Malta’s traditional flat bread, is inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Why read Malta's books

Maltese literature grows out of a crossroads island writing in two tongues , Maltese and English , from Dun Karm’s founding verse to Oliver Friggieri’s modern novels of identity and politics. Its books carry the weight of a nation that has been Phoenician, Roman, Arab, and British, and still remains distinctly its own.