Rużar Briffa (1906–1963) was a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and dermatologist, and a major figure in Maltese literature. "I never thought of publishing these poems in a book. Some were written in hard times, others in moments of joy. And I wrote them for myself." These were the poet's words as they appeared in his first collection of poetry, ''Poeżiji'', published in 1971 thanks to his second wife Louisette and his friend P. Valentin Barbara's constant encouragement.

Life

He was known as the poet "of smallness and simplicity - the best". Rużar Briffa studied at the Saint Elmo elementary state school and at the

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

Lyceum. Having obtained his matriculation certificate, in 1923 he started teaching at elementary schools. In 1924, he began his studies in medicine at 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 ...

and completed them in London in venereology and

dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...

. In 1932 he became a specialist in skin diseases. He was known for his humility and his greatheartedness in dealing with his patients, especially those suffering from

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

. According to his wife Louisette, he dreamed of beautifying disfigured and suffering patients through his medical work. This aesthetic concern emerges frequently in his literary work, so much so that he was known as the "Poet of Beauty" amongst his contemporaries. In 1931, together with his friend Ġużè Bonnici, he founded the Għaqda tal-Malti Università, which is active to date, and started issuing the magazine '' Leħen il-Malti'' ("Voice of the Maltese"). Rużar Briffa died on 22 February 1963. His full biography was released in 1984 by Professor Oliver Friggieri. The Maltese town of Mosta contains a road named in his honour, Triq Rużar Briffa.

Poetry

Many of his poems were written on bits of papers cut from notebooks or on the inner part of a used packet of cigarettes. Others were written on papers intended for medical prescriptions, on paper-bags; in short, he would use anything that was at hand to capture his poem on paper. Although Briffa wrote very little, he was greatly appreciated by literary critics. These are some comments Briffa passed on poetry, as an individual interpretation and universal expression:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Briffa, Ruzar University of Malta alumni 20th-century Maltese poets Maltese male poets 1906 births 1963 deaths Maltese dermatologists 20th-century male writers 20th-century Maltese physicians Crown Colony of Malta people