Author

Curmi was born in Valletta, the son of Giovanni Curmi and Lucia née Caruana, and was educated at St Joseph’s High School and at Flores College. In 1915 he entered the UM to study law where he became acquainted with Italian literature. He graduated LL.D from the UM. in 1922 but, instead of practising law, he chose to teach Italian. He also became an active member of La Giovine Malta, a social and cultural club. Between 1926 and 1939 he edited Malta Letteraria.

In 1933 Curmi was appointed regular master at the Lyceum and in 1945 additional lecturer in Italian literature at the RUM. He occupied administrative posts in the education department (1949-1960), retiring as assistant director of education. During the war years he was a special constable going out on duty every time there was an air raid. In July 1964 he suffered a cerebral thrombosis which affected his literary career.

Curmi was a master of the Italian language. He delivered several public lectures mainly on literary, historical, and patriotic subjects.

Curmi also edited and published several manuscripts from the archives of the National Library, such as G.F. Agius De Soldanis’s Apoftegmi e Proverbi Maltesi (1928), Fabrizio Cagliola’s Disavventure Marinaresche (1929), and Felice Cutajar’s L’Occupazione Francese di Malta (1933). Some of his works were translated into other languages: ‘Fili’ (a short story translated into Hungarian by Alice Almassy, 1937), ‘Pioggia’ (a short story translated into Maltese by Ġużè Aquilina, 1949), Bufera (a novel translated into Maltese by Karmenu Vassallo, 1956), and Nel Palazzo degli Anguillara (a novel translated into Maltese by Ġużè Chetcuti, 1959).

Curmi won several literary prizes: Concorso bandito dall’Accademia d’Italia (1931), Premio Quadrante Italico (Bergamo, 1952), Premio Letterario Città di Reggio Calabria (1954), Premio La Nuova Italia Letteraria (Bergamo, 1955), Premio Torino (Turin, 1955), Premio Battaglia Letteraria (Messina, 1956), Premio Rivista Omnia (Rome, 1956), Medaglia di Bronzo, Premio La Soffitta (Pisa, 1956), Premio Vallombrosa (1956), Premio Internazionale Gela (1956), Medaglia d’Argento Concorso Voci Nuove (Turin, 1959), Premio Città di Pisa, La Torre d’Oro (1960), Premio Grazia Deledda, Nuoro (1960), and Premio Flora (Milan, 1966). In 1962 he was awarded a silver medal by the Italian foreign minister for promoting Italian culture in Malta

As a writer, Curmi was very sharp and uninhibited. He had a penetrating sense of observation and loved his country and her people. His poetry is emotional and sensitive to human tribulations, and he imbued his vision of art with a feeling of youth mingled with a great admiration for nature as a source of beauty.

Giovanni Curmi married Lucy Savona on 4 June 1932 and they had a daughter, Ileana.

This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.