D.Litt. (Hon. Causa) - vox populi

A recent publication by the Sensiela Kotba Socjalisti is Kittieba Hbiebi by the octogenarian poet, playwright, novelist and literary critic, Guzè Chetcuti.

Guzè Chetcuti's works are too well-known to be listed here. In any case the list would take up most of the space of this column. Suffice it to use numbers for the sake of brevity. He wrote and/or published eight novels, eight collections and anthologies of poems plus an oratorio - Marija Immakulata - four plays, one teleserial - Manwela - one anthology of his prose, one of his collected poems (1930-2000), five collections of short stories, six books of criticism and language and translations from Henrik Ibsen, Giovanni Curmi and Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici (Il-Gross).

"It is verily a case of a vox populi clamouring for the University of Malta to grant the grand old man of Maltese Literature Guzè Chetcuti the degree of D.Litt. (Honoris Causa).

A quotation and a dedication grace the very first page of Kittieba Hbiebi. Both deserve being reproduced . "Culture in its broad sense can be said to be the whole complex of distinctive factors that are spiritual, intellectual and emotional that characterise society of or a social group. It includes not only art and literature, but also the modes of life, fundamental human rights, the system of values, traditions and customs" - World Conference on Cultural Politics.

The dedication runs: to all friends living or deceased, who during the 20th and 21st centuries laboured, wrote and endeavoured so that the Maltese language and literature achieve their rights of a civilized people as indeed they deserve. The sub-title of Kittieba Hbiebi is an autobiographical history of Maltese literature. That is exactly what the 728 pages of this book are all about. Here is an original, personalised manner of writing the history of Maltese literature in all its forms. It includes the literary produce of Maltese Australians.

Guzè Chetcuti is considered as the father or brother icon depending on the age of the friend of the author.

Kittieba Hbiebi is a tribute to the writing of his friends who actually are established authors or who were when they were alive during the past 60 years. At the same time in line with his declaration of the book being an autobiography quotes reviews or comments or extracts from letters his friends had written in connection with his works.

In the presentation of the book Chetcuti states that he included in his anthology writer friends of Maltese literature who appeared successful on the Maltese literary scene, including those he worked with in previous years.

The book contains essays on 63 writers. Indeed, some are no longer with us in this vale of tears, but their writing is still evidence of their worth and appreciated for ages to come.

Some writers friends

For some reason or other Chetcuti while writing his presentation mentioned only a few of the 63 writers. Obviously one cannot draw any conclusion from this curious fact.

These are Dr Alfred Sant, Francis Ebejer, Professor Oliver Friggieri, Anton Cassar, Joe Borg, John F. Marks, Evarist Bartolo, Achille Mizzi, Inez Soler and Guido Saliba, Mario Serracino Inglott, Gino and Ivo Muscat Azzopardi, Albert M. Cassola, Paul Ph. Borg, Charles Briffa, Kilin, Lino Spiteri, Daniel and Alfred Massa, Charles Flores, Ray Mohoney, Walter and Trevor Zahra, Francis Galea, Mgr Anton Gauci, Charles Bezzina, Charles Coleiro, Lawrence Mizzi, Victor Apap, Karm Ellul Galea, Pawlu Aquilina, Guido Lanfranco and Maltese Australians Frank Zammit, Manwel Cassar, Joe Saliba and his nephew, Dr Joseph C. Chetcuti.

As homage to his publishing house Chetcuti provides his first study on Dr Alfred Sant. He does so by considering his subject as a man of letters and not as a politician. After all, he is treating his friends as writers.

The contents of a number of letters between the two complementing each other on their latest literary efforts are quoted. Dr Sant also wrote the novels L-Ewwel Weraq tal-Bajtar, Silg fuq Kemmuna, Tiftah l-Inkjesta, It-Tfal ta' Nikol Grixti, Ahna u l-Isvizzeri.

His short stories have been published under the cover of Kwart ta' Mija.

Francis Ebejer appears on the drama scene

GuZÈ Chetcuti, Inez Soler and Guido Saliba formed the Play Selection Commission to vet plays for broadcasting by the Malta Drama League's member drama companies over the Rediffusion system. We three were also adjudicators of the First Radioplay Writing Competition. The most outstanding out of 21 entries was Cpar fix-Xemx. Some of the adjudicators' comments were:

"He (Ebejer writing under the pseudonym Polonius) was the only writer who showed seriousness in the treatment of thesis, the only one who showed a moral, to make a comment on daily lifestyle with all its defects and bad behaviour and to convey a message to whoever wanted to listen. ...excellent technique and imagination, best literary style and faultless broadcasting mode." It was in this manner that Francis Ebejer exploded on the Maltese drama scene. The rest is history.

L'enfant terrible of Maltese poetry

Mario Azzopardi, poet, literary critic and theatre director calls the period of the post Second World War generation of Maltese poets "the radical years". He was Chetcuti's student at the Lyceum. As poets, their style clashed. Chetcuti was the traditionalist and Azzopardi was certainly not a disciple of this style. If anything, he was one of the radical leaders.

Yet the two collaborated in the production of two play at the Manoel theatre, Chetcuti translated Ibsen's Enemy of the People and wrote 1919, the play about the June 7 riots. Azzopardi was the producer director. Both plays were difficult and both men came out with flying colours.

Mario is mostly known as a very forceful modern poet who rebelled against the traditional elitist form of poetry. Most typical are the poems included in Antenne (1968) and Mis-Sanatorju tal-Mistici (PIN publication 1995).

The poemas of Oliver Friggieri

Oliver Friggieri described Chetcuti's Il-Hajja Nzul u Tlajja as "the only collection of verses in a new and modern style". This was written when Friggieri was still an undergraduate reading for a BA degree.

Chetcuti returned the compliment by a review of Professor Friggieri's Rewwixta, a poetic drama in three acts published in 1990: "...I consider this poema as different from the classical style dramas of Ninu Cremona and Erin Serracino Inglott. There is no other poetic drama that reaches the high literary level, maturity of thought, idiomatic expressions and the refined plot of the poema.