Le poesie italiane, a book just published by Malta University Press, comprises the first ever complete collection of Dun Karm's numerous poems in Italian.
The poems were compiled by Oliver Friggieri, who started collecting the national poet's complete poetical works about 35 years ago.
The earliest known poem goes back to 1889 and some of the earlier works are being published in the book for the first time since they were written. Others are being reprinted following their remote first appearance in books, anthologies, reviews and other forms of public diffusion, now quite rare to find at hand. Various other poems are being reproduced after their having been preserved in their manuscript and typescript form for quite a long time.
At the end of the volume, Prof. Friggieri provides a chronological list of the poems, together with their sources and dates of first or early publication.
Most of the poems are being presented in their chronological order. Where no evidence has been found for such information, the other poems are placed at the latter part of the volume.
The themes range from religious faith to social, political, environmental and personal aspects of life. This wide collection of poems covers a period that goes back to the late 19th century and the war period whereas other works are more recent.
In a lengthy and densely annotated critical introduction on the poet, entitled L'identità culturale di Dun Karm, Prof. Friggieri presents an account of the poet's complex personality completely belonging to the neoclassical and romantic movements prevailing in Italy and widely adhered to in Malta. Such an interpretation is continuously set against the background of a whole Italian poetic tradition, ranging from Dante to Monti, Manzoni and Foscolo, among many others. Special consideration is also given to the way Dun Karm handles the Italian language, his choice of words and typical phraseology.
Prof. Friggieri writes thus in his preface to the book: "In the extensive process of my research on the relationship between Italian romantic culture and Maltese poetry, it was dutiful to give paramount prominence to the figure dominating the first half of the 20th century in the field of poetry in the Maltese language, Carmelo Psaila (1871-1961), popularly known as Dun Karm (this is the name with which he is recognised as a poet). Since early youth he dedicated himself completely to writing in Italian and in 1912 he discovered the possibility of expressing himself in the native tongue... The decision taken by Dun Karm, now in his early 40s, to dedicate himself also, even though not completely, to writing in the Maltese language has probably led towards his rapid recognition as national poet of Malta, a title bestowed upon him by Laurent Ropa in 1935.
"Strengthened by such a long experience, nurtured by a far-reaching knowledge of the Italian literary heritage, with all ease and authenticity Dun Karm could insert himself within the context of the 'new' language without losing any of those characteristics, thematic and stylistic, which had long moulded his identity.
"Studying Dun Karm closely from various perspectives, I found myself confronted with the problem of his texts, especially of his poems written in Italian and in Maltese. This has imposed upon me the need to discover the numerous places where his vast poetic legacy was left dispersed, completely forgotten: manuscripts, typed copies, books, booklets, reviews, newspapers, leaflets, public and private collections. In the same manner I have collected 'all' his poems in Italian, many of which have, up to now, been left unpublished, or scattered in various publications."
The collection of Dun Karm's poems in Maltese was published as Il-Poeziji Migbura in 1980 and more poems were published as an appendix to Prof. Friggieri's own Dun Karm - Il-Bniedem fil-Poeta (Klabb Kotba Maltin, 1980).
Le poesie italiane includes a bibliography of Prof. Friggieri's works on Dun Karm, comprising books and scholarly articles published in numerous academic magazines throughout the world in Italian and English, some of which also translated by foreign scholars into another language.
Prof. Friggieri was awarded the degree of MA for the thesis La cultura italiana in Dun Karm, later launched in Florence by Leo S. Olschki as La cultura italiana a Malta - Dun Karm (1978) and the degree of Ph.D. with the thesis La cultura italiana del romanticismo e la poesia maltese, eventually published in volume form by Edizioni Spes of Milazzo as Storia della letteratura maltese.
Since the mid-1970s he has been publishing extensive works on the relationship between Italian and Maltese culture and addressed various international congresses on the subject. Most of his works have now been published in numerous languages.
Le poesie italiane is a fine paperback edition by Malta University Press and has been printed by Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) Ltd. The cover, which includes a photo by Joseph P. Borg of Dun Karm's monument, was designed by Reginald Bartolo.
The book is on sale from leading booksellers.