Letters to the editor - July 18, 2026

A Maltese poet laureate

Vincent Friggieri of Gżira writes:

Malta rightly takes pride in cele­brating achievement in the arts. Yet there remains one honour many countries have long embraced but which has never existed in our own literary tradition: the appointment of a poet laureate.

The role is not simply to recognise a distinguished poet. It is to acknowledge an individual whose body of work has enriched the nation’s cultural life and projected its literary voice beyond its shores.

If Malta were to establish such an office, I believe Immanuel Mifsud would be a compelling choice.

For more than four decades he has been one of the country’s leading literary figures, writing poetry, novels, short stories, memoir and drama.

His work has earned multiple Malta National Book Awards and, in 2011, he became the first Maltese writer to receive the European Union Prize for Literature for Fl-Isem tal-Missier (u tal-Iben) (In the Name of the Father [and of the Son]).

His books have since been translated into numerous languages, bringing Maltese literature to readers across Europe and beyond.

Author and poet Immanuel Mifsud. File photo

He has also represented Malta internationally through readings, including at the Library of Congress in Washington and at Westminster Abbey, and has served both the University of Malta and PEN Malta with distinction. In recognition of his contribution to literature, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Malta.

Many Maltese readers, myself included, have been deeply moved by In the Name of the Father (and of the Son), a work that explores family, memory and identity with exceptional honesty and literary craftsmanship. It is one of those rare books that remains with the reader long after the final page has been turned.

Such an appointment would not diminish the achievements of other distinguished writers. On the contrary, it would celebrate the richness of Maltese literature.

Looking back, I believe Oliver Friggieri would almost certainly have been Malta’s natural poet laureate had such an office existed during his lifetime. His contribution to our language and literature was immeasurable and his influence continues to be felt today.

A poet laureate would not be a political appointment but a cultural one. It would affirm that Malta values its poets as much as its musicians, artists and historians, recognising that literature is one of the enduring expressions of a nation’s identity.

For a country with one of Europe’s oldest literary traditions in its own language, perhaps the time has come to create such an office. Should that day arrive, I can think of no more fitting inaugural holder than Mifsud.