Karm, Dun (1871-1961), a Maltese priest, came to be regarded as Malta’s national poet. His works include his country’s national anthem, “Innu Malti” (“Maltese Anthem”). Dun Karm was a founding member of the Maltese Academy in 1921, which formulated a grammar of the Maltese language and published Maltese literature. In 1934, he and other Maltese writers persuaded the British rulers of the colony of Malta to recognize the Maltese language. Dun Karm did most of the work on a three-volume English-Maltese Dictionary (1947-1955).
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Carmelo Dun Karm Psaila was born on Oct. 18, 1871, at Żebbuġ on Malta Island. He was ordained a priest in 1894. He wrote poetry in Italian until 1912, when he switched to the Maltese language. Many of his poems explore village life in Malta and portray the Maltese countryside. Queen Elizabeth II made him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1956. He died on Oct. 13, 1961.
See also Malta.
