Studji Kritiċi Volume One
by Tarċisju Zarb, collected and edited by Andrew Sciberras.
Tarċisju Zarb is one of Malta’s most prolific poets; he is also a worthy author, essayist and teacher, whose highly philosophical views of life reflect a very deep and almost painful preoccupation with what is actually going on in a world which is tragically succumbing to chaos. Like all poets, he is forever hoping for better days, with undertones of cynicism that sometimes sound more pronounced and desperate than hopeful.
As an author, Zarb has been enhancing Maltese literature with a substantial number of critical studies that are not only academic gems, but also reflect the genuine interest Zarb has not only in local literature in general but also in other Maltese poets and writers. He looks at all of them individually, assessing their worth, their poetic prowess, their styles, their character and, most importantly, their varied reactions in the face of adversity, disenchantment and ultimately, utter disillusion.
Lately, Zarb has been very busy on this first volume of critical studies, collected and edited by Andrew Sciberras; a monumental thick tome, beautifully printed by Progress Press, with coloured illustrations that further enhance the very neat presentation of the book itself.
Like all poets, he is forever hoping for better days, with undertones of cynicism that sometimes sound more pronounced and desperate than hopeful
In this first collection, Zarb analyses 22 other poets. He does so in a supremely academic manner and with a very critical eye that, in an astonishing way, is purely individual, both in the way it treats each poet as a persona, but also in the almost psychological bravura with which he relates each poet with his poems.
Thus he brings into focus feelings, moods and characteristics that are artistically the same, but personally different and utterly human. It is exactly this human element that makes this book a joy to read and a pleasure to own.
The 22 poets selected by Zarb in this volume are Mario Azzopardi, Jonathan Balzan, Charles Bezzina, Ġorġ Borg, Louis Briffa, Carmel Calleja, Melanie Camilleri, Carmel G. Cauchi, Victor Fenech, Oliver Friggieri, Gioele Galea, Raymond C. Grech, Alfred Massa, Daniel Massa, Charles Mifsud, Achille Mizzi, George Peresso, W.J. Psaila, Andrew Sciberras, Philip Sciberras, Jesmond Sharples and Marjanu Vella.
All these poets have contributed in their own way to the overall formation of the literature of the small country of Malta, raising it to levels that need not envy that of other much larger countries.
Andrew Sciberras is to be heartily congratulated for the way this collection has been formed and ultimately presented. Artistic books such as these deserve all the attention and respect they can get, all that is nationally due to them, as they not only enrich Maltese literature, but also provide future generations with valuable information about those who have strived, and very often made personal sacrifices, to furnish these tiny islands with a literature of its own, complementing its rich language.