Dun Karm Psaila

Who is Dun Karm Psaila?

Dun Karm Psaila, born Carmelo Psaila in Ħaż-Żebbuġ in 1871, was a Maltese Roman Catholic priest, writer, and poet regarded as the national poet of Malta. Educated at the seminary and the University of Malta, he was ordained a priest in 1894 and went on to teach at the seminary for over two decades. Though he began his literary career writing in Italian, he later turned to Maltese, becoming one of the first major poets to write serious literary verse in the language and helping establish Maltese as a vehicle for high literature rather than only everyday speech. In 1921 he was asked to write lyrics for a piece of music by Robert Sammut, and the result, "L-Innu Malti," was first performed publicly in 1923; it was later adopted as Malta's official national anthem. In 1945 he became the first person awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by the Royal University of Malta, and in 1956 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He died in 1961, remembered as the "bard of Malta."

Sources: Wikipedia, 'Dun Karm Psaila' · Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Dun Karm' · GuideMeMalta, 'Happy birthday! National poet Dun Karm Psaila'