Lexicographer, poet and author Mario Serracino Inglott died last Saturday evening. He was 73. The son of Erin Serracino-Inglott, his most significant work was the completion of his father’s seminal Maltese dictionary, ‘Il-Miklem Malti’. He then went on to compile his own dictionary, the ‘Dizzjunariju Malti’.
The National Book Council paid their respects to the author. “He loved the Maltese language and worked all his life to see it in a better position. The National Book Council would like to honour this man whose dedication towards Maltese lexicographically strengthened the language. While sending its condolences to his relatives, the Council pays tribute to a great friend of our language who left us in book form the great work he did in his lifetime to strengthen it.”
Serracino-Inglott’s achievements span beyond the scope of letters, as he was lauded with the honour of being the very first Malta boy chess champion in 1947. His love for chess was also inherited from his father and he took part in two international chess tournaments, in la Spezia, Italy and in Yugoslavia (both in 1957). A history of chess in Malta (spanning over 1800 – 1990) was also among his literary output.
In 1953 he became a clerk at the Dockyard and two years later he joined the civil service as a clerical officer, retiring in 1985 to teach Maltese at Stella Maris College. It was in the eighties that he began overseeing his father’s unfinished manuscripts. He was also concerned with the way the Maltese language was used in broadcasting. “Mario showed admirable determination in his efforts,” says Marco Galea, ex-president of the Ghaqda tal-Malti. “In this country, the kind of work he did wouldn’t be that readily appreciated so the fact that he persevered for so long is impressive. He had a real passion for language and was concerned with its abuse in broadcasting, working very hard to put pressure on the people concerned to improve the way the way it was used in the media. He even gave lessons to broadcasting professionals, raising awareness and ultimately improving the status of the Maltese language.”