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 Guzč
Muscat Azzopardi was born in Qormi, Malta, on 1st
September 1853. He lived in his native village but
he later transferred residence to Valletta where he
died on 4th August 1927.
He became legal procurator (PL). Besides being a
fine critic and journalist, he translated into
Maltese the four Gospels, the Missal and left a
biblical story: Il-Mahbub ta’ Gesů; he
translated into Maltese from Italian The Life of St
George, the patron saint of his village (1874).
It was for this religious output that the Pope
bestowed upon him the title Pro Ecclesia et
Pontefice; the late Mons Joseph Lupi called him:
‘’The pioneer of the Maltese liturgical movement.’’
He was editor of Il-Habbar, a
politico-literary newspaper, and of the review
Il-Habib where, encouraged by him wrote poets
like Dun Karm, Anastasju Cuschieri and Ninu Cremona.
Muscat Azzopardi was elected first president of the
Society of Maltese Writers (later The
Academy)(1920), and first editor of Il-Malti,
the official review of that same Society, which is
still being published. He was also for some time
president of Pinto Band Club, Qormi.
About his poetry:
Muscat Azzopardi’s culture was vast. He began to
write in Italian, as was usual in those days, and
published Versi (1876).Together with others he was
one of the chains between the Italian and the
Maltese culture. According to Ninu Cremona, ‘’his
enthusiasm in favour of Maltese literature was on
the same footing with his Italian one.’’ Even
according to Ninu Cremona, Muscat Azzopardi’s poetry
put him on a higher pedestal above his contemporary
writers. His poetry treats patriotic and religious
subjects, besides verses of a general taste.
From the popular style, his poetry passed on to the
academic one and according to Ninu Cremona it served
as a model to Dun Karm and to Anastasju Cuschieri.
Dun Karm – who was well known for his scars
applauses– praised Guzč Muscat Azzopardi on two
different occasions in the same poem, an elegy he
wrote on Muscat Azzopardi’s death. First of all Dun
Karn called him ‘’poet’’ and claimed that the
Maltese language he used was rich and refined in
style.
From this point of view, it’s a pity and a
misfortune that Guzč Muscat Azzopardi has been for a
long time praised more for his novels than for his
exquisite poetry.
About his novels:
Professor Aquilina divides Muscat Azzopardi’s novels
into two categpries: those with a flowing and light
style and those with a more virile one. Under the
first category fall: Toni Bajada (1878),
Viku Mason (1881), Susanna (1883),
Cejlu Tonna (1886), Censu Barbara (1893).
Under the second category falls his chef-d’oeuvre
Nazju Ellul (1909), which narrates the story of
the hero Dun Mikiel Xerri who was shot by the
besieged French at the Palace Square, Valletta.
Even here, Ninu Cremona praises Muscat Azzopardi’s
prose writing when he reveals that the latter’s
prose was imitated by other contemporary writers,
amongst whom Annibale Preca, Fons Maria Galea,
Bellanti, Temi Zammit. Cremona also claims that
Muscat Azzopardi’s prose soars well above the rather
beautiful style of Manwel Caruana’s Ines Farrug.
But perhaps Ninu Cremona gives us his best
assessment of Guzč Muscat Azzopardi’s worth as a
writer in the words: ’’Guze Muscat Azzopardi
remains, in the annals of Maltese literature, the
best figure that gave the kiss of life to the
Maltese language, and it was he who gave birth to
the best minds that today (in 1959!) make up the
pioneer movement of Maltese literature’’; and ‘’he
honoured Maltese literature and gave a boost to the
Maltese language that had fallen to its lowest pits
ever.’’(again this was written in 1959).
It was not without reason therefore that when Guzč
Muscat Azzopardi died on 4th August 1927, the then
Minister for Education Dr Guzč Micallef in the
Legislative Assembly exclaimed that has just died
‘’The father of Maltese literature.’’
To honour this great although not yet wholly
explored giant-writer, a monument was erected at
Misrah il-Kittieba in Qormi, his birthplace, in
1993.
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