Anthony Burgess, sex tourist - Valletta: The Gut
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- Опубликовано: 11 фев 2012
- Triq Id-Dejqa (Strait Street or The Narrow Street), Valletta, Malta. Known as The Gut, it is the Maltese equivalent of Shanghai's 'Blood Alley'. Strait Street fell into decline in the early seventies. (Blood Alley ceased to function as a red-light district after the communists took over China in 1949.)
Extract from 'You've Had Your Time, Being the Second Part of the Confessions of Anthony Burgess':
'Since [Liana, Burgess's second wife] had translated Thomas Pynchon's 'V', which has Malta among its settings, she was anxious to see Strait Street, or The Gut, in Valletta, where sailors picked up girls. This place did not officially exist, any more than did the Maltese Mafia that worked in London: there was a lot of hypocrisy around.'
Extract from the Anthony Burgess novel 'Earthly Powers':
'His grace also asked me to tell you to watch your step.'
'Did, did he? I see. Highly honoured. Has his bulldogs sniffing round Strait Street, does he? Oh Jesus Lucifer Beelzebub Almighty, how I loathe and detest this bloody place.'
'You mean, I think, that there is no decent tradition of Islamic pederasty here. The whole place is dedicated to good Catholic family-making. It is also, you would say, excessively hippy and bosomy. No dirty little boys with bodies like straight sharp knives.'
'You fucking hypocrite.' He said this with little malice and followed it with a snigger. 'None of that, eh? You must accompany me to The Gut sometime, dear.'
'The Gut?'
'What the sailors call Strait Street.'
'I see, I see.'
Playlist: ruclips.net/user/playlist?list=...
Huge Maltese copper down there in 1970. He took care of business when the fleet was in. We gave him a wide berth. Affectionately known to us all as ' Tiny '.
Thanks very much for your comment Geoffrey. The slide started when the British government decided to rundown its armed forces. Malta had been a base for the British Navy since the beginning of the 19th century. The rundown started around the mid-1960s. This was compounded by the fact that the Maltese government returned to office in 1971 banned American Sixth Fleet ships from berthing in Malta's harbours. The writing was on the wall and most bar owners show that the end was close at hand.
I found it intriguing that many of the bar signs are still there. I would've thought the area would be prime real estate, but apparently not.
My dad, George Cini has just published a history of this street called "Strada Stretta ' The Gut ' Which For Many Years Lit Up Valletta. The book can be bought from bdlbooks Happy reading :) ps the first edition of the book which was in Maltese has been sold out.
Ah, yes. 'Strada Stretta: The Gut that lit up Valletta'. Must try to get hold of that.
I see there's a picture of the Cairo Bar. Presumably there are a number of other illustrations.
I've had a look at the cover of your father's book. It looks fascinating and I am not surprised it has found a large readership. Could I please ask: when did the bars of The Gut close their doors and why exactly? Was it a gradual thing, or did it happen all at once?
Brings back great memories! I was a sailor won't say more
Tee-hee! Sounds like you had a very good time indeed.
got to get that book,first went on Hms Hermione in 1976,the splendid bar was my favourite,had a heavy rock juke box.
antny greenwood Sounds delectable. Irrecoverable time!
Thanks for uploading this.I'd like to take a holiday sometime and see it in person
Malta is full of interest but I gained an appreciation of its slightly oppressive nature, to which Burgess alluded.
I went there 7 times in the late 70's on H.M.S. Fearless, it was an awesome place. we used to start at the top and try to "Do The Gut", visit every bar from top to bottom, we never made it once :) never remember going back on board either funnily enough. There was one bar near the middle run by an English couple, can't remember its name, we used to have to stop there. Ah memories.
'Do the Gut.' That sounds fun indeed.
'Never remember going back on board either funnily enough.' Ha ha! Because you had to be carried back on board, no doubt.
I had a lot of good times there! Lot of girls and good times!
Were the girls Maltese? Or various nationalities?
@Luca Ellul Don`t borther my friend; I fell in love with a girl down there (Fountain Street) and found lots of obstacles especially from my own family; I left the girl heart broken but after thirty years we met again; we both saperated and now been together for twenty-one years; "First Love Never Dies". Btw the women down there; most of them weren`t from Valletta; they came from all over MALTA. Regarding yourself feeling "Insulted" as prostitution etc, etc keep in mind and remember that the "Well Known place In London "SOHO" were prostitution and sex shops were the main attraction was RUN BY THE MALTESE. Cause we had BALLS. xxxx Yanu tad Doisa.
Mr T., this is great. Thanks for visiting In Search of Anthony Burgess and I wish you and yours the very best.
This is an inspiring story!
Ah yes, I remember encountering a number of Maltese in Soho.
Yes, Valletta is of considerable interest.
how different it was in 1974 on my one and only visit. girls galore pulling us into the side bars, quite an experience.
I envy you, Mr Coates.
+Ken Round First of all this is Paul, Ken. I'm using a different account for betting purposes, (It's complicated) Actually I wasn't serving to be honest, just there on holiday. lol But an ex serviceman told me you must go down Strait Street, so we did. :-)
Sounds a bit like Manila.
Ça me intéresse beaucoup vraiment,Est-ce que je peux y avoir un adress à ce juger?
The address is Strait Street. Fairly easy to find, I think.
This is interesting, Mr Cini -thank you very much. I didn't know the dereliction has been so longstanding, but I see now: Mintoff's change of foreign policy and the retrenchment of the Royal Navy.
Pleasingly, the bars are almost completely unmolested. In other European countries or in America they would by now be thoroughly rubbish-strewn, graffiti-daubed and urine-soaked.
I must either learn Maltese or hope for an English-language edition of your dad's book.
The silver horse bar was known in the Royal Navy as The Galvanised Donkey !!
That is a great name.
A fascinating country. However - and it is only a small thing - the cuisine is not to my taste: I will put it no more unkindly than that.
The battle of the gut in the mid 50's was notorious!
The Battle of the Gut, eh? Tell me more.
@@InSearchOfAnthonyBurgess my dad was involved in it and ended up getting 2 months yankers in Aden while serving in the Royal Marines. Apparently a local attacked a bootneck & all hell broke loose for 2 days.
@@michaelhiggs8657 Good old bootnecks. I remember seeing some of them in Walmer, where, as you're sure to know, there used to be a depot (now turned into flats).
@@michaelhiggs8657 What is meant by 'yankers'?
@@InSearchOfAnthonyBurgess a sort of military punishment.
Good memories of 'The Gut' in the early seventies
I'll bet.
Which language is used in malta
English
MALTESE. Malti ...........English was the second language .
@@dukasdukas9404 Lmfao
@Luca Ellul Don`t borther my friend; I fell in love with a girl down there (Fountain Street) and found lots of obstacles especially from my own family; I left the girl heart broken but after thirty years we met again; we both saperated and now been together for twenty-one years; "First Love Never Dies". Btw the women down there; most of them weren`t from Valletta; they came from all over MALTA. Regarding yourself feeling "Insulted" as prostitution etc, etc keep in mind and remember that the "Well Known place In London "SOHO" were prostitution and sex shops were the main attraction was RUN BY THE MALTESE. Cause we had BALLS. xxxx Yanu tad Doisa.
@@sebastiantufigno6955 Ballsy Maltese indeed.
Sebastian Tufigno
1 second ago
Something you "FORGOT" to mention was that before you were born; Straight street was an attraction to The Best Entaitainment that came from all over the world; mostly Italy and UK; Straight Street change it reputation when the "Services" started coming to Malta, mainly English and Americans, the Americans were more popular maybe cause they spent more money and were easier to empty their pockets. Ofcourse at that time Malta lacked the privilige of Social Security and that what make Straight Street popular, because woman from any part of Malta would end down there to help with their income to feed the family. Prime Minister Dr George Borg Oliver started by getting "The Indipendance" In 1964 and followed ; Prime Minister Don Mintoff ending all Services from Malta including the Nato in 1979 "Jum Il-Helsien" Freedom Day when the last ship "HMS London" left The Harbour. Prime Minister Don Mintoff continued his wish to END the Slums down there by building Housing Estates` Btw protitution still egist all over the world so next time pick another country; especially HOME you should know more than me about it.
Thanks for this historical survey, Mr Tufigno. Good to have some background. Thanks for visiting In Search of Anthony Burgess.
So many girls!
Girls galore. Girls girls girls!