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 Guzè`
Cassar Pullicino was born at Birkirkara on 21st
September 1921 but spent most of his childhood at
Tarxien. He matriculated from the RUM in 1938 and
started studying Maltese as part of an academic
course of literature at the RUM in 1940 but had to
abandon his course for family reasons. He took up
employment with the government but still remained
very active as a member of the Ghaqda tal-Malti,
as assistant director of Lehen il-Malti.
Cassar Pullicino was council member of the Ghaqda
tal-Kittieba tal-Malti and secretary of the
Xirka ghat-Tixrid ta' l-Ilsien Malti. He was
also member of the Paola Literary and Debating
society; editor, Melita Historica; editor
Maltese Folklore Review; and honorary president,
Ghaqda tal-Folklor since its foundation in
1964.
In 1970 Cassar Pullicino received the silver Medal
for Merit from the Confederation of Civic Councils.
In 1993 he was presented with the Midalja ghall-Qadi
tar-Repubblika. Cassar Pullicino was awarded a
British Council scholarship in librarianship to
Leeds and London and he was the first Maltese to be
elected associate of the Library Association,
London. He was instrumental on the publication of
significant works, like Robert Mifsud Bonnici's
Dizzjunarju and Erin Serracino Inglott's
translation of the first part of Dante's La
Divina Commedia. Cassar Pullicino's literary
output includes a collection of essays and short
stories.
Cassar Pullicino's main contribution to the academic
world is in the sphere of folklore. He was chosen
member of London's Folklore Society in 1946. He
published several articles and studies of a
historical and biographical nature. His studies in
Maltese, history and folklore are interrelated and
his research in these areas is the hallmark of his
literary career. In 1976 he published Studies in
Maltese Folklore and Study di Tradizione
Popolari Maltesi (1989), for which he collected
texts from living persons regarding that reflected
the popular mentality and compared the material to
similar texts from other Mediterranean areas. Until
today, Mr. Cassar Pullicino write a monthly article
for the Air Malta magazine about Maltese traditions
and folklore. |
