Having finished reading and reviewing the book 'The Narrow Road to Success' of Manuel Borda, GMCC made a short interview with the author:

 

You wrote the book 'The Narrow Road to Success.' Why did you write the book? What was the intention?

 

Writing gives me a sense of fulfilment. I used to contribute articles about social, economic and political issues to leading newspapers in Malta; I also had a number of articles published in technical journals about economic self-reliance of small states which is my line of specialisation.

 

It was always my goal to write a fully fledged book because I have first-hand experience of different areas of work – the civil service, the public sector where I held high positions in a number of government corporations, public life and within the private sector where I worked both as an employee and as a self-employed.

 

At the University of Malta I taught History of Economic Thought which dealt with how economic principles evolved during the centuries. My research took me as far back as the time of the Greeks, 800 BC. In fact the word economics is derived from the Greek language. Xenophon wrote a book entitled Oeconomicus in which he investigated the efficient management of the producer and the household.

 

Many authors have taken up economics and management as topics for their work. I wanted to be different and an idea crossed my mind. I thought of reconciling the principles of these two subjects with another area. In my reading of the gospels I discovered that there were many principles that could be applied to economic and management scenarios. To my knowledge such an approach has never been taken up.

 

 

You said you tried to reconcile economic and management principles with principles found in the gospels. Could you please describe the gospels a little bit more?

There are four gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The first and last mentioned were apostles of Jesus Christ and they documented the life and teaching of Jesus Christ.

 

Mark was a close friend of the apostle Peter; the latter having been chosen by Jesus to lead the others in the Church Christ founded. Luke was a medical doctor who accompanied Paul, the apostle of the gentiles, in many of his travels.

 

The four little books, I call them the four little books because they are actually short and it does not take much time to cover any one of them. They are divided in two: the first three are referred to as the synoptic gospels because they describe Jesus’ life and teaching from the same perspective, whilst John’s is more theological.

 

Admittedly, Jesus Christ did not come out with any theoretical economic framework, for his mission in life was spiritual and not mundane. But his approach and illustrations have many practical applications both in the normal course of human life and in the business and industrial world.

 

My references from the gospels were taken from ‘The New Testament’ (an international version) published by Paulist Press, New York (1986) – a book which I read avidly and with great interest.

 

Why does the book have no supplement to explain where the gospels come
from?

My intention was to write a novel based on the life of a person who had to face many difficult situations and who was completely lost as to how to tackle his problems.

 

A novel is not a textbook and, though thinking of including an appendix, I resisted the temptation. I imagined readers would view the book as too heavy and difficult to follow with so many references. I preferred the book to be considered as light reading and taken up in one’s spare time; and that is the reason I applied the principles couched in a novel.

 

It is true, however, that those readers who are not versed with the gospels may find their application rather difficult to accept. Nevertheless, when reading a novel the reader generally takes in what the author has written and either admires or looks down on the author’s approach. I hope that readers will appreciate my efforts.

 

Is the book autobiographical?

No, the book is not autobiographical; in fact there is a disclaimer at the very beginning of the book stating that names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

 

Could you explain more of the internal logics of the book (Dramaturgy)?

The book tries to merge normal situations with principles that have been already enunciated by others. Paul Goodison can be regarded as an innovator. He did not come out with any new theories; what he read, studied, and investigated functional relationships to tread on new ground.

 

This approach was applied when he was still a junior employee, when he discussed issues with his fiancé and when he worked as a chief executive officer for a group of companies.

 

Many situations are created to expound the idea that though life is complex and full of problems, yet it could be simplified with the application of proven principles.

In which country is the story taking place?

Purposely, I did not mention any particular country. The story can occur anywhere. On account of my work I travelled extensively in Europe; I have also been to Hong Kong and South America and met many people of different nationalities. I observe that human traits are common everywhere.

 

Of course, it is not usual to relate a business environment with the gospels. But when one observes the underlying measures taken in industry and manufacturing and reconciles them with what Christ taught, the story becomes really interesting. That’s what makes it unique; it is an original story.

 

Which impression would you like the reader to have?

I wish all readers to enjoy the story and think about it. I wish the reader should get the impression that there are many approaches to real life situations. Principles moulded through the ages tend to withstand changes. We still refer to Greek semantics and base our judgements on a number of their conclusions.

 

 

How can a reader adjust to the ideas of the book?

The objective of the book is not really to influence, more to entertain. In their spare time readers are solicited to slip into the realm of imagination. However, there are readers who may be surprised at the guiding principles of the gospels as applied to an area which is normally alien to any religious beliefs.

 

Do you have any results from other religions?

 

I have come across people who hold different beliefs from mine. But in our discussions and dealings differences in religious background do not come into play. I have been brought up to respect a person irrespective of his or her beliefs.

 

But it is too early to know. The book was published this year and has only been a few months on the market.

How long had you been working on it?

It took my about three years to complete it and three months to review it.

 

Was it easy to find a publishing house?

Perhaps, I was a bit lucky in this respect. I only went to Athena Press and the book was accepted straightaway. In fact, I was exhilarated by the editor’s report. It was highly recommended for publication.