Mary Meilak (9 August 1905 – 1 January 1975) was a Maltese poet. Meilak holds a unique place in the history of

Maltese literature Maltese literature is any literature originating from Malta or by Maltese writers or literature written in the Maltese language. This article will give an overview of the history of Maltese-language literature. History Written Maltese As Ma ...

in that she is the first recorded female Maltese poet as well as the first Maltese woman to publish a book of collected poetry. She was a contemporary of Gan Anton Vassallo, Dwardu Cachia,

Dun Karm Carmelo Psaila, better known as Dun Karm (Żebbuġ, 18 October 1871 – 13 October 1961) was a Maltese priest, writer and poet, sometimes called 'the bard of Malta'. He is widely recognised as the Maltese national poet. Life He was ed ...

, Anastasio Cuschieri,

Ninu Cremona Ninu "Anthony" Cremona (May 27, 1880 - January 4, 1972), colloquially known as ''Is-Sur Nin'', was a Maltese writer and health inspector. He was the best son of Feliċ and Margaret née Pace. He was born in Victoria (Rabat) Gozo. Orphaned at a ...

, Guze Delia, Gorg Zammit, Gorg Pisani, and

Anton Buttigieg Anton Buttigieg, ( mt, Anton Buttiġieġ ; 19 February 1912 – 5 May 1983) was a Maltese political figure and poet. He served as the second president of Malta from 1976 until 1981. Early life Anton Buttigieg was born in Qala, Gozo, on 19 ...

Life

Born in

Victoria, Gozo Victoria ( mt, Il-Belt Victoria, meaning "the city Victoria"), also known among the native Maltese as Rabat (which is the name of the old town centre) or by its title Città Victoria, is an administrative unit of Malta, the largest and most pr ...

, on 9 August 1905, to Ġorġ and Mananni, she received her education at the Central School in Gozo. Meilak worked in government offices for seventeen years, until becoming a teacher in 1942. She derived great satisfaction from teaching and held her position up until her retirement twenty years later. She died on 1 January 1975, at the age of 70. On the centenary of her birth, a memorial was erected in her honor in her hometown of Victoria, Gozo.

Style and Themes

''L-Akkademja tal-Malti'' describes Meilak as the only female voice among the Maltese Romantic poets who were working during the first half of the 20th century. As Prof.

Oliver Friggieri Oliver Friggieri (27 March 194721 November 2020) was a Maltese poet, novelist, literary critic, and philosopher. He led the establishment of literary history and criticism in Maltese while teaching at the University of Malta, studying the work ...

observes: "Not only does Mary Meilak stand apart from the other poets in that she does not allude to the existential and historical angst of her time, but also because her form of expression is at its best when it throws a fantastical lens on the world around her." Prof.

Ġużè Aquilina Joseph (Ġużè) Aquilina (7 April 1911 – 8 August 1997) was a Maltese author and linguist born in Munxar. Education Aquilina graduated first as Bachelor of Arts and later as a lawyer from the University of Malta. Between 1937 and 1940 he rea ...

and Prof.

Peter Serracino Inglott Peter Serracino Inglott (26 April 1936 – 16 March 2012) was a Priest, Philosopher, Scholar and Rector of the University of Malta from 1987 to 1988, then consecutively from 1991 to 1996. He was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor of philosoph ...

also observe that Meilak had a quick hand and a technically interesting style in that (perhaps unbeknownst to her) she tended to employ the metric found in Arabic poetry rather than the Greek and Italian literary forms which influenced most of her contemporaries. Meilak's verse is known for its ease and accessibility, embracing colourful flights of fancy, a vision of nature as a limitless horizon, religious themes, the use of alliteration and onomatopoeia, and other elements that lend her work the simple and melodious tone that characterizes her poetic identity. It is this lightness of being communicated through her work that leads Prof. Oliver Friggieri to compare Meilak to "a sorceress who transforms inner life into words."

Works

Meilak wrote her first poem, ''Faxx Nemel'' (''A Trail of Ants''), when she was 25 years old, in 1930. In 1945, she published her first collection of poems. titled ''Pleġġ il-Hena'' (''A Pledge to Joy''). She also published two volumes of essays titled ''Nirraġunaw u Nitbissmu (Let's Reason and Smile)'', three novels titled ''Nokkla Sewda'' (''Black Locks''), ''San Nikola tal-Venturi'' (''St Nicolas of Venturi'') and ''It-Tewmin tal-Birgu'' (''The Twins of Vittoriosa'')'','' as well as two

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s and some

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

s. A set of currently unpublished poems show a different side to Meilak, with works that shed light on her experiences and perspectives during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. These poems are evidence of Meilak's sympathies with the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

, as well as her intense patriotism, which is evident in poems that employ the hyperbolic and heartening language often found in war time poetry. For many years, Meilak was also a regular contributor to "''Leħen is-Sewwa''" (''The Voice of Truth''), a print publication established by the ecclesiastical authorities of Malta on September 1, 1928, and which is still run by volunteers from Malta Catholic Action. Many of the poems which Meilak contributed to this publication were of a religious nature, including a series of works related to the

Passion of Christ In Christianity, the Passion (from the Latin verb ''patior, passus sum''; "to suffer, bear, endure", from which also "patience, patient", etc.) is the short final period in the life of Jesus Christ. Depending on one's views, the "Passion" m ...

, which were gathered into one volume under the title ''L-Istrumenti tal-Passjoni'' (''Instruments of the Passion'') by Frank L. Mercieca in 2005.

List of works

*''Pleġġ il-Hena'' (1945) *''Nirraġunaw u Nitbissmu 1'' (1946) *''Nirraġunaw u Nitbissmu 2'' (1947) *''Dawra Misterjuża'' (1947) *''Villa Meylak: Ġonna ta' Kulħadd'' (1947) *''Album: Poeżiji'' (1947) *''Nokkla Sewda'' (1958) *''Songs You Will Like'' (1971) *''L-Istrumenti tal-Passjoni'' (2005)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meilak, Mary 1905 births 1975 deaths 20th-century Maltese poets 20th-century Maltese novelists People from Victoria, Gozo Maltese women poets Maltese women essayists Maltese women novelists Maltese opera composers Maltese essayists 20th-century classical composers Women classical composers Women opera composers 20th-century essayists 20th-century Maltese women writers 20th-century women composers Maltese-language poets