A postcolonial discussion on Maltese identity through an analysis of modern and contemporary Maltese poetry in English

Abstract

This dissertation seeks to explore the various depictions of Maltese identity as conveyed in Maltese poetry which has been either written directly, or translated, in English. National identity has been the primary subject of a vast legacy of poetry inherited by our generation from post-Independence times. At a time when Malta was still coming out of the difficulties induced by colonization, the poets of the sixties strove to portray the afflictions that a small insular country like Malta suffered due to a strong dependence complex on the colonizer, and, from the colonial attitudes within the people's psyche. A new style of poetry emerged as a reaction against Romantic portrayals of the country which in their anachronistic renditions of the island and its people, did not offer the true portrayal of, and any solutions towards, the afflictions of colonization and the disillusion that was being felt back in the sixties. Moreover, this dissertation seeks to find out whether Malta has been successful in healing the wounds that both land and people suffered in past times, all of which stem from, or are directly connected to the island's past colonization. One finds how the themes and motifs found in modern poetry (1960s - 1980s), especially those concerning Maltese identity have been passed on and re-worked into contemporary poetry (1990s - present) according to changing times. Consequently, contemporary poetry offers us the possibility to discuss such changes in Maltese identity, and to discover whether Malta has been able to overcome the ills induced by colonization. Ultimately, this dissertation portrays how the English language played a major role in promoting a positive reworking of feelings on Maltese identity, and how it also aided in enabling Malta to become the stable country that it has become.