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- Title
Giovan Francesco Buonamico's Maltese Poem: A Historical and Textual Analysis.
- Authors
Friggieri, Oliver
- Abstract
A Baroque poem in Maltese, written by Giov. Francesco Buonamico (1639-1680) in about 1675 enjoys great importance in the literary history of Malta as it establishes the modes which subsequent works in Maltese were bound to follow. It constitutes an example of how a language of Semitic origin, fully exposed to the strong Italian cultural tradition of the island, could not only be written in the Latin script, but also be completely identifiable in terms of its Italian nature. Its most significant aspect lies in the fact that Buonamico fully adheres to the spirit of Baroque. Various factors contribute towards the formation of a poem typical of the era. He found it natural to adhere to the prevailing thought and style of the late seventeenth century, even if for a while he resorted to the use of Maltese, till then the largely unwritten, undignified speech habit of a tiny rural community. Buonamico's poem illustrates Malta's direct participation in Baroque also through the handling of a still unrefined 'vulgar' language.
- Subjects
MALTA; MALTESE poetry; POETRY writing; ROMANTICISM; BUONAMICO, Francesco; LITERATURE
- Publication
Italica, 2016, Vol 93, Issue 3, p457
- ISSN
0021-3020
- Publication type
Article