St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity is commemorating the 10th anniversary of poet Doreen Micallef’s death next weekend.
Micallef’s writings expose profound and controversial thoughts about what she endured
Sharon Bezzina will be delivering a monologue taken from a collage of Micallef’s most expressive poems, under the direction of Marcelle Teuma.
The monologue, titled Doreen, will present Micallef’s personality through her poetry, which has often been considered to be a confessional statement of a soul at odds with the world, and in a constant and troubled search for truth, love and understanding.
Micallef was born in 1949 and died on December 1, 2001. Her funeral was attended by few people. No member of her family attended as she had none.
But she left behind her many works which are very important in the literary world.
Micallef published three poetry books and a collection of plays during her lifetime. Deemed one of the most prominent writers of the artistic revolution of the 1960s, she wrote on various themes, but mainly of her yearning for a significant other, spirituality and pain.
A large number of poems that she wrote in her last years remain unpublished.
Her writings expose profound and sometimes controversial thoughts about what she endured throughout her life, and some might find this uncomfortable.
This theatrical presentation is a collage of some of the poems that Micallef wrote, as well as other aspects which forged her character, as is documented in research by Rebecca Spiteri.
Doreen will be performed at St James Cavalier, Valletta, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m.
A conference will be held at the St James Cavalier music room on Saturday at 8.45 a.m. where a number of academics will be giving papers focusing on different aspects of Micallef’s personality and works.
Spiteri, who wrote a dissertation on Micallef, and Marlene Saliba, who was one of the poet’s closest friends, will give biographical accounts of Micallef.
Francis Galea’s paper will focus on Micallef’s political writings, Olivia Borg and Bernard Micallef will focus on her poetry and Marco Galea will be speaking about Micallef the playwright.
Oliver Friggieri and Fr Peter Serracino Inglott will focus on dominant themes in Micallef’s writing.
The panels will be chaired by Adrian Grima.
Tickets from St James Cavalier. Tel: 2122 3216; www.sjcav.org.