When the researchers and writers at the publishing company Plantain tracked down the story of Joseph Salvatori, they confessed that, like most people, they associated the name Salvatori with little more than a building in the heart of Port of Spain that once bore the businessman’s name.
But Joseph Salvatori was more than a rags-to-riches story and a savvy businessman with a building named after him. He was a diplomat, an inspirational individual, a leading figure in the cocoa era in Trinidad and a complicated character worthy of a novel.
His story surfaces in a colourful biography entitled Salvatori: Un Corsu A Trinidad, commissioned by Salvatori’s great-granddaughter, Lorraine O’Connor.
[caption id="attachment_929173" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Joseph Salvatori's great-grandchildren, from left, Claude Salvatori, Lorraine O'Connor and Charles Salvatori at the book launch of Salvatori: Un Corsu A Trinidad, Mille Fleurs, Port of Spain on November 11. - PHOTO BY SUREASH CHOLAI[/caption]
The biography brings both Salvatori and the cocoa era to life through letters, personal documents, diary entries, newspaper clippings, interviews with family members and research into the history of Corsica and Trinidad. It features information gathered from archives in London, Paris, Corsica, the US and Trinidad.
Salvatori certainly had his fair share of adventures, which shaped his life.
In her introduction, O’Connor writes, “Your journey from a farmer in Corsica to one of the most powerful families in TT, leaves us, your family, a legacy of resilience, determination, and will to succeed.”
The biography is described as “a bespoke package, crafted and published by Plantain, that helps capture legacies and build bridges for future generations.”
It is a deeply personal book reflecting O’Connor’s family history, yet Salvatori’s story has a wide appeal as an immigrant story that fits into these times. He migrated twice: Venezuela served as his first home after Corsica. He lived there for ten years before moving to Trinidad, which he had visited often for business.
Born on April 28, 1880, Salvatori ventured west near the beginning of the 20th century. How he arrived in Trinidad from Venezuela is a story in itself that features love, ambition and the eventual need to escape the political turmoil of South America.
His story chronicles the rise of the cocoa industry in Trinidad. It brought Salvatori wealth, fame and Mille Fleurs, one of the Magnificent Seven buildings around the Savannah. Detailed descriptions of life at Mille Fleurs create a window into the lives of wealthy Trinidadians.
Much of the biography re-imagines Salvatori’s life from the vineyards of Corsica to the bustling city of Port of Spain at the turn of the 20th century. Readers will feel as though they experience everything from the lush landscape and vineyards of Salvatori’s home in Corsica to his extravagant dinner parties at Mille Fleurs. Actual menus in French have been included in the book and detailed descriptions of the interior of the hom
