The Artel Press is pleased to announce the publication this autumn of ‘Almost a Catastrophe’ the story of a Welsh family’s life on 1960s’ Malta.
Almost a Catastrophe is the sequel to Jan Corke’s 2019 autobiography A Hidden Home in the Gwydyr Forest which described the restoration of an historic cottage in Snowdonia, and which ran to two impressions.
Janet Corke’s career as a solicitor has given her a keen eye for detail and her book is rich with vivid descriptions of their life as civilians on what Sir Winston Churchill described as ‘the unsinkable aircraft carrier’.
Having settled in a beautiful old villa in Birkirkara an erratic electricity supply, coping with the children’s ailments with no NHS, and the contrast between the lives of her neighbours and the British Services Personnel all added to a unique experience.
After three years amongst her friendly and hospitable neighbours the family left the Island on the 15th August 1966, the day England won the World Cup.
Janet was often homesick for Wales, but her book beautifully details many happy memories of a lifestyle that simply could not be repeated today.
Almost a Catastrophe: A Welsh Family’s Adventures in Malta
by Janet Corke
ISBN 9781739900304
RRP £7.99
Paperback 250pp
Publication date: 30 Oct 2021