Journalist
Guliermu Arena was born in Floriana, son of Gaetano and Giacinta Nuzzo, but was brought up with his family in Valletta. His father was employed as a clerk in the business industry with depositories in the vicinity of the Fish Market at Valletta.
Guliermu was very much influenced by his father who was an erudite person. In point of fact, Guliermu Arena was initiated into politics through his own father’s activism at the time of the reforms leading to the grant of the Malta Constitution Letters Patent of 1887 establishing representative government. Arena was aware of the correspondence on the political state and issues of Malta such as the mixed marriages question, which his father Gaetano exchanged with the young Gerald Strickland still a student at Cambridge, William Ewart Gladstone the Prime Minister of England, as well as Cardinal Mariano Rampolla who was the then Secretary of State for the Vatican.
Arena started developing his interest in the cultural and theatrical milieux already in this period. He honed his writing skills through studying and he was self-taught.
His publication Tosca (1903) marked his baptism of fire, and two years later, in 1905, he published two more books in the series Mogħdija taż-Żmien. Subsequently, he published a collection of theatrical sonnets and translations from Italian.
In 1914 he was known to be actively involved in the group led by Manwel Dimech known as Ix-Xirka tal-Imdawlin so much so that he was a member in the committee of the society.
His major contribution to the Maltese cultural and intellectual development was, no doubt, in satirical journalism. In 1902 he started publishing Il-Ġaħan, followed, two years later, by Il-Ġaħan tas-Soltu in collaboration with Mikelanġ Borg. The satirical paper Il-Ħmar, which came out in 1917 and reached a circulation of 5,000 copies, was to be the apex of his journalistic career.
He employed in this newspaper a satirical tone with regards to more serious matters with the aim to promoting the cause for social justice. He made use of sarcastic dialogues to teach the person-in-the-street. Guliermu had writers of great calibre such as Professor Sir Michelangelo Refalo*, Carlo Satariano*, Ġużè Orlando*, Gino Muscat Azzopardi*, Ċensu Bugeja*, Nikol Biancardi,* Ġiacinto Tua,* and others.
Arena was an active member of the Workers’ Union Branch 3, and was one of a group of twelve workers who signed the deed at Notary Carbonaro which founded La Camera del Lavoro or the Labour Party historically and popularly known as Partit tal-Ħaddiema.
He was one of the first members along with co-founders Giacinto Tua* and Mikelanġ Borg* who formed the "Left-Wing" within the movement. He was considered as an extreme Labourite in Malta and befriended Matthew Giles, a Socialist who visited the island to help in the promotion of a movement in favour of the workers' rights and tradeunionism.
Arena was deemed as one of the "three worst agitators on the island" by Giles. Arena was also together with Ċensu Bugeja and Ġwann Mamo one of the first Maltese who transmitted the initial ideas of Socialist doctrine in Malta through the teachings and writings of the British Herbert George Wells and the clout of other members of the Fabian Society.
In 1919, Guliermu Arena imitated his father Gaetano when he contacted by writing Lloyd George, the then Prime Minister of England. He published a letter which he had sent Lloyd George concerning a rumour that after Armistice, the British would depart from Malta. He insisted that the Maltese ought to be consulted before the British would take such a decision. Lloyd George responded from Versaille while the Treaty of Peace was being concluded.
Arena died aged 50 years at his residence at no.193 Strait Street, Valletta, and was buried at the Addolorata Cemetery.
His demise was given prominence in local newspapers and the obituaries threw further light on his character. Ċensu Bugeja*, wrote that this pioneer of the Labour movement in Maltese political history "directed the Executive Committee of the MLP with unrivalled uprightness and honesty" and he was one of the "Builders of the Maltese Nation".
Ġużè Orlando referred to his poetry as serious and humouristic alike. His son Ġużeppi together with Carlo Satariano continued to publish Il-Ħmar until the Archbishop's Curia condemned it in 1928. Consequently, they changed its title to Il-Ħmara which was issued for many years later.
This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.