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 Dun
Karm was born at Zebbug (Malta) on the 18th October
1871. He was educated at the Seminary between the
years 1885 and 1994 and then proceeded to study
philosophy in 1888 and theology in 1890 the
University of Malta.
He was ordained priest in 1894. From 1895 to 1921 he
taught various subjects at the Seminary, Italian,
Latin English, arithmetic, geography, cosmography,
ecclesiastical history and Christian archaeology. In
1921 he was appointed assistant librarian at the
National Library and in 1923 directory of
circulating libraries, a post he held till his
retirement in 1936.
In 1921, Dr. A.V. Laferla, the director of
education, asked Dun Karm to compose some verses to
a music score by Dr. Robert Sammut. The Innu Malti
was sung for the first time in 1923. In 1941 it was
officially designated the national anthem and in
1964 reaffirmed in the Independence Constitution.
In 1921 Dun Karm was one of the founding members of
the Ghaqda tal-Kittieba tal-Malti and on the
death of Guze Muscat Azzopardi in 1927, he was
elected president of the Ghaqda and then
editor of the official organ, Il-Malti. He
carried out these functions till 1942 when he was
nominated honorary president of the Ghaqda
for life. In recognition of his contribution to
Maltese literature, he was granted a D. Litt (honoris
causa) by the Royal University of Malta in 1945
- the first time the University granted such an
honour. A year later he was awarded the Guzè Muscat
Azzopardi gold medal. Queen Elizabeth II decorated
him with the Commander of the Order of the British
Empire in 1956. In 1957 the Maltese government
issued him an ex-gratia pension in recognition of
his services to Maltese literature. During his
lifetime he was also honoured as the National Poet
of Malta.
Before 1912 Dun Karm wrote only in Italian. His
first known published poem is La Dignita Episcopale
(1889) after which he published Foglie d"Allora
(1896) an Versi (1903) another collection of Italian
poems.
Dun Karm wrote "Quddiem Xbieha tal-Madonna"
his first poem in Maltese, which appeared in the
first issue of the Maltese periodical il-habib
Published by Mgr. Pawl Galea and Guzè Muscat
Azzopardi. His best poems include Il-Musbieh tal-Muzew
(1920).
Dun Karm often found poetic expression in his
solitude, which was eventually accompanied by a high
degree of spiritual balance. His poetry reflects a
background of village life crowned with an
atmosphere of family feelings and it also portrays
the Maltese countryside with a perspective
imagination. It synthesizers the popular culture of
the Maltese, which is quite evident from the rural
characteristics that furnish its local identity with
the literary culture based largely on Italian
romanticism.
His first works in Italian reveal an early life of
peace and calm; after the death of his mother,
solitude became his companion. When he decided to
make Maltese the medium of his creativity he
explored poetically Malta history to confirm its
cultural and national identity. At the same time
some of his best poems illustrate an inner journey
of sentimental and more experience. His poetry
exhibits great subjectivity but it also expresses
his country collective aspirations. Both the
personal and the national sentiments are treated
from a deep religious viewpoint that discusses
existentialism The spiritual crisis in Il-Jien u
lil hinn Minnu is analyzed in universal human
terms that illuminate man's existence and insist on
the inexplicability of the relations between God and
man, except for the latter's absolute acceptance of
the formers hidden power.
A.J. Arberry translated about 37 of Dun Karm's poems
in to English, Guzè Delia translated Il-Vjatku
into Spanish and Laurent Ropa translated Il-Jien
u lil hinn Minnu into French.
Dun Karm's writings include Zewg Angli: Inez u
Emilia (translated in 1934 from an Italian novel by
D Caprile) Besides these he wrote a few critical
works. He also compiled a dictionary between 1947
and 1955 in three volumes, Dizzjunarju Ingliz u
Malti.
Dun Karm Psaila passed away on the 13th October
1961. |
