Francis Ebejer
Encyclopedia
The only documentary about Francis Ebejer. This micro-budget documentary sheds light on the 'discreet' private life of Ebejer.
Francis Ebejer (August 28, 1925, Had-Dingli — June 10, 1993, St Julians) was a Maltese
dramatist and novelist. Ebejer studied medicine at the University of Malta
between 1942 and 1943 before abandoning the course to work as an English-Italian interpreter with the 8th Army of the British Forces in Tripolitania, North Africa (1943-44). After the war he became a teacher and on completion of a course at St Mary's Training College, Twickenham, Middlesex (1948-50) he was appointed a primary school head teacher in Malta, a post he held till 1977.
Ebejer wrote all his novels except one in English. His final novel, The Malta Baron and I Lucian was published in 2002, nine years after the author's death. It can be considered a twin of Requiem for a Malta Fascist (1980). Both novels treat of fascism
and of the Second World War. The war dominated Ebejer all his life.
Other novels by Francis Ebejer are A Wreath of Maltese Innocents (1958), Wild Spell of Summer (1968), In the Eye of the Sun (1969), Come Again in Spring: Requiem for a Malta Fascist (1980), and Leap of Malta Dolphins (1982).
Ebejer was the leading Maltese dramatist of the second half of the 20th century. In his groundbreaking plays he introduced a deep introspection of Maltese society, using an elegant style that proved him to be a master of the language.
In the fifties he wrote mostly for the radio, while the sixties and the seventies saw the more mature Ebejer writing his major dramatic works. His three great works, Vaganzi tas-Sajf (1962, Summer holidays), Boulevard (1964), and Menz (1967) were a great success and gave the public something that was lacking in Maltese society: intellectual drama.
Ebejer always defined the Maltese as Mediterranean. On the other hand, his plays deal with universal aspects of humanity. The universal is illustrated in a specific environment serving to show that while life on tiny Malta is steeped in history the island is alive in a modern world.
Ebejer is concerned with the future of the Central Mediterranean. A recurrent theme is the interaction of past and present as alternative glimpses into the future. His characters reflect a flawed nation. Theirs is a search for identity and cultural continuity that reveals society and religion interlocked.
Ebejer experimented much with the theatre. In Boulevard, for example, he experiments with the idea of the absurd, using language to smash the stability of tradition. Another concept he introduced in Malta is the thesis play. In Menz, for instance, he discusses the usefulness of individual freedom within a social system that imposes rigidity; in Vaganzi tas-Sajf man has to look for internal peace within the bounds of his own experience and maturity; and in L-Imwarrbin (1973, The Cliffhangers) he sets the past in confrontation with the present to reveal the workings of the individual conscience and makes use of the play-within-a-play technique to retain the link with reality.
In 1961 Francis Ebejer received an International PEN (English Centre) fellowship and remained a member of this international society for novelists. Between 1961 and 1962 he became a Fulbright Scholar (USA). He received innumerable awards and titles in Malta and abroad for his work in drama. He was a member of the Academy of Maltese Writers and an Honorary Member of the Accademie de Vaucluse (France).
Francis Ebejer (August 28, 1925, Had-Dingli — June 10, 1993, St Julians) was a Maltese
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
dramatist and novelist. Ebejer studied medicine at the University of Malta
University of Malta
The University of Malta is the highest educational institution in Malta Europe and is one of the most respected universities in Europe. The University offers undergraduate Bachelor's Degrees, postgraduate Master's Degrees and postgraduate Doctorates .-History:The University of Malta was founded in...
between 1942 and 1943 before abandoning the course to work as an English-Italian interpreter with the 8th Army of the British Forces in Tripolitania, North Africa (1943-44). After the war he became a teacher and on completion of a course at St Mary's Training College, Twickenham, Middlesex (1948-50) he was appointed a primary school head teacher in Malta, a post he held till 1977.
Ebejer wrote all his novels except one in English. His final novel, The Malta Baron and I Lucian was published in 2002, nine years after the author's death. It can be considered a twin of Requiem for a Malta Fascist (1980). Both novels treat of fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and of the Second World War. The war dominated Ebejer all his life.
Other novels by Francis Ebejer are A Wreath of Maltese Innocents (1958), Wild Spell of Summer (1968), In the Eye of the Sun (1969), Come Again in Spring: Requiem for a Malta Fascist (1980), and Leap of Malta Dolphins (1982).
Ebejer was the leading Maltese dramatist of the second half of the 20th century. In his groundbreaking plays he introduced a deep introspection of Maltese society, using an elegant style that proved him to be a master of the language.
In the fifties he wrote mostly for the radio, while the sixties and the seventies saw the more mature Ebejer writing his major dramatic works. His three great works, Vaganzi tas-Sajf (1962, Summer holidays), Boulevard (1964), and Menz (1967) were a great success and gave the public something that was lacking in Maltese society: intellectual drama.
Ebejer always defined the Maltese as Mediterranean. On the other hand, his plays deal with universal aspects of humanity. The universal is illustrated in a specific environment serving to show that while life on tiny Malta is steeped in history the island is alive in a modern world.
Ebejer is concerned with the future of the Central Mediterranean. A recurrent theme is the interaction of past and present as alternative glimpses into the future. His characters reflect a flawed nation. Theirs is a search for identity and cultural continuity that reveals society and religion interlocked.
Ebejer experimented much with the theatre. In Boulevard, for example, he experiments with the idea of the absurd, using language to smash the stability of tradition. Another concept he introduced in Malta is the thesis play. In Menz, for instance, he discusses the usefulness of individual freedom within a social system that imposes rigidity; in Vaganzi tas-Sajf man has to look for internal peace within the bounds of his own experience and maturity; and in L-Imwarrbin (1973, The Cliffhangers) he sets the past in confrontation with the present to reveal the workings of the individual conscience and makes use of the play-within-a-play technique to retain the link with reality.
In 1961 Francis Ebejer received an International PEN (English Centre) fellowship and remained a member of this international society for novelists. Between 1961 and 1962 he became a Fulbright Scholar (USA). He received innumerable awards and titles in Malta and abroad for his work in drama. He was a member of the Academy of Maltese Writers and an Honorary Member of the Accademie de Vaucluse (France).