Maria Grech Ganado (born 1943, in

Lija Lija ( mt, Ħal Lija) is a small village in the Central Region of Malta. It forms part of the Three villages of Malta, along with Attard and Balzan. Lija has a baroque parish church and seven other small chapels. The parish church is dedicat ...

), considered to be from

Floriana Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana ...

, is a Maltese author and academic.

Education

Grech Ganado obtained her secondary education at St Joseph High School (Valletta) the Marija Regina Secondary School, in

Hamrun Hamrun (; ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 9,244 as of March 2014. The people The townspeople are traditionally known as ''Tas-Sikkina'' (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who carry a knife') or as '' ...

. She attended the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

where she obtained a BA in English Literature. She was awarded a second BA from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

. She went on to read for a Master's degree jointly between the University of Malta and the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. She returned to Malta to take up an academic position in the Department of English at the University, and is notable for being the first Maltese female full-time lecturer at the University of Malta. She retired from teaching in 2003.

Literary work

Grech Ganado has written poetry in both Maltese and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and is widely published. She has won the National Book prize for Poetry four times and received the first Maltese Poet Laureate award in 2020. Her work forms part of the National Curriculum at MATSEC level and has been translated into 12 other languages. In 2000, Ganado Grech was awarded the ''

Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika The Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika (Medal for Service to the Republic) is a medal of the Republic of Malta. The medal is awarded by the President of Malta, with the written approval of the Prime Minister of Malta, for distinguished service to M ...

'' in recognition for her service to Maltese Literature. She also holds a Gieh il-Floriana award.

Personal life

Ganado Grech married

Louis Grech Louis Grech (born 22 March 1947) is a Malta, Maltese politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Malta, as well as Minister of European Affairs. He also served as Deputy Leader for Parliamentary Affairs of the Malta Labour Party, Labour Pa ...

in 1972, and they have three children; Xandru, Francesca and Louisa. She has spoken out about her struggle with mental health issues.

Bibliography

* ''Jum San Valentin'' * ''Iżda Mhux Biss'', 1999 * ''Skond Eva'', 2001 * Ribcage, 2001 * ''Fil-Ħofra Bejn Spallejha'', 2005 * Cracked Canvas, 2005 * Memory Rap, 2005 * ''Taħt il-Kpiepel t'Għajnejja'', 2014 * ''Awguri, Giovanni Bonello!'', 2016 * Framed, 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grech Ganado, Maria 1943 births Living people 20th-century Maltese poets People from Lija University of Malta alumni University of Malta academic personnel 21st-century Maltese poets Maltese women poets English-language writers from Malta Recipients of the National Book Prize