Environmental elements in Maltese literature : the example of Dun Karm, Malta's national poet

Abstract

The history of Maltese literature reflects to a great extent the gradual emergence of a small nation in search of itself and eventually fully aware of its identity. The Romantic revival has meant to Malta much more than what it has meant to most other countries. It signified above anything else the need for the island to discover its own language and embark on the task of forming an indigenous literature, namely in Maltese, the traditionally downtrodden language derived from Arabic, spoken by all, written sporadically by quite a few. [excerpt]