Lack of appreciation for Dun Karm Psaila
Għaqda Poeti Maltin has issued the first number this year of its quarterly magazine Versi. On the front page, the president of the association, Alfred Massa, pays tribute to Malta’s national poet Dun Karm Psaila, on the 50th anniversary of his death...
Għaqda Poeti Maltin has issued the first number this year of its quarterly magazine Versi.
On the front page, the president of the association, Alfred Massa, pays tribute to Malta’s national poet Dun Karm Psaila, on the 50th anniversary of his death in 1961.
The editorial expounds further on Dun Karm, and criticises the apathy and lack of appreciation for our greatest poet. Follow four poems in English, Italian and French, written by Paola Mara de Maestri, Stephen Morris, Jogn Boyle O’Reilly and Roland Cielny.
The Maltese temporary poets’ corner is dedicated to young poetess Amanda Busuttil, who shows her mettle in four of her best poems. The next page carries two of the winning poems in last year’s national poetry competition.
Patrick Sammut offers a fine essay about the sense of protest in Maltese poetry, and Charles Magro pens a critical review about Dun Karm’s celebrated poem Lill-Kanarin.
In this edition one also finds two book reviews by Massa: one about Sammut’s didactic book Sec-Suċċess – Malti and the other about Karmenu Mallia’s Dawl is-Salib.
Massa once again updates readers as to what is going on in the world of poetry, and there is the usual interesting photos from the association’s album.
Karen Massa writes at length about the protest lashed out by various writers against the destruction of the local environment in the Qawsalla series.
A collection of poems in various languages rounds up the magazine, its last page entirely dedicated to the prize-giving ceremony, plus results of the Poetry Contest 2010.
Copies of Versi at €0.58 per copy may be obtained from 9 ‘Springdale’, Triq it-Taħħân, Mosta, MST 4215.