When your art captivates your life and serves as the very thing that pushes you to be your true self, you know you’ve found your calling, your rightful devotion and, most importantly, your joy in life.
Louis Briffa’s approach to poetry is immersive – it’s a fuel for him to produce and create, and an expressive tool to write about daily happenings.
“For me, writing poems is a necessity in my life. I express my happiness or sorrows in every verse I write,” he says.
“Poetry offers me a shelter from the outside world, even in the most difficult situations that I encounter. These emotions were even felt when I was very young and this led me to put pen to paper – all my thoughts and feelings which triggered my journey of poetry writing until the present day.”
Creating art needs a muse that will guide you towards the right answers and captivate both artist and audience with its results. But comfort, familiarity and a means of expression is vital for a true artistic explosion to emerge.
“The process varies according to the poem I have in mind to write. I write poems in Maltese since my native language gives me huge satisfaction in expressing my feelings. I never go out of my home without having a pen and paper with me, since ideas can come out spontaneously, so I just stop and write.”
The way in which an author creates is a unique experience every single time – being prepared is just a small step in the process, but the approach any artist takes is relative to their current state of mind and their reaction to the environment they’re in.
“On the basis of the topic chosen for the poem, it might be a requirement to carry out extensive research to obtain more information on the subject and start putting down ideas on paper.
“Writing poems also depends on my current state of mind at that particular time which mostly relates to my thoughts and feelings. If for example I’m writing a poem with an environmental subject in mind, I visit places to get an idea of the situation and together with my ideas and feelings on this topic, I start scribbling the poem.
“The choice of words and rhythm is crucial as these have to express exactly what I have in mind. Completing a poem is then a process of editing and rewriting until the final version is completed.”
This reflects what Prof. Charles Briffa wrote in one of his literary commentaries: “Louis Briffa’s perspective of poetic composition is a merging process of art and craft.”
Writing poetry is also an escape for Briffa, with a channel to contemplate. The art of writing is therapeutic in itself when left free to the imagination and encouraged for its expressive qualities.
“Every poem I write creates its own world based mostly on my real-life experiences so that my poetic modernism eventually becomes a form of realism that is no stranger to the reality outside the poems. The extensive use of real and imaginary characters combined with usage of metaphors act as a filter to support meditation, which are the fundamentals of my creativity.”
Much like the rest of the country and world, Briffa has been self-isolating under COVID-19 restrictions, and the poet has used this time as a moment of self-reflection.
“I’m a very sensitive person and this COVID-19 situation affected me deeply, especially since I’m considered as a vulnerable person. Practising social distancing with family members is very hard. However, I had more time on my hands to read and research. I continued to write poems however I adopted a retrospective reflection when writing poems therefore it might be that in the future, I might write a poem about the COVID-19 pandemic subject.”
Briffa’s sincere approach towards his life’s trade is authentic and poetry is the muse and outlet that allows him to be so expressive in his ways. And poetry is his means of honest expression.
“A sincere person is rare to find. I use my poetry to express my sincere feelings through the words I use.”
When comparing a poet’s approach to writing to that of a novelist, Briffa says: “There are rules which are followed while writing poetry which include rhyme schemes, meters and number of verses. A poet may lean towards brevity with the use of specific words to provoke emotional responses.
Great literature should be recognised as a national point of reference that stimulates the senses and Briffa’s poetry, more specifically Bil-Boqxiex was short-listed for the National Book Prize in 2019.
“Bil-Boqxiex was the only poetry book written in Maltese which was shortlisted for the National Book Prize. This was a huge satisfaction for me especially since the last book I published, Bil-Varloppa, won the National Book Prize in 2007.
“Bil-Boqxiex was short-listed together with another poetry book written in English. This situation in itself was very contradicting since poetry in Maltese and English cannot be judged for the same award. Feedback was given to the organisers by various poets during a convention held in September 2019, and a suggestion to judge Maltese and English books separately when it comes to the award in the category of Poetry. In fact this year’s National Book Prize will implement this new concept which will allow a much fairer judgement.”
This interview is part of a series of interviews with local authors, supported by the National Book Council. Read interviews with Alex Vella Gera, Clare Azzopardi, Walid Nabhan, Nadia Mifsud, Ġużè Stagno, Karl Schembri and Oliver Friggieri.