Ġużé Chetcuti

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Ġuże' Chetcuti was one of Malta's most prolific 20th century authors.

He was born in Cospicua on 11 August 1914 Chetcuti studied at St Albert's Central School, Valletta and the Teachers College in Valletta. In 1936 he became a primary school teacher. As he work for government schools, in 1938 he was transfered to the editorial staff of the Central Information Office where he worked as translator and store officer for many years. During the war years he worked as radio announcer, reading news bulletins he wrote or translated along with his colleagues at the Information Office.

In 1956 Ġuże' Chetcuti returned to the Education Department and taught Maltese at the Boy's Lyceum unil he retired in 1974. He also lectured in Maltese at the Mater Admirabilis Training College and acted as a member of various Maltese examining boards.

Chetcuti became actively involved in the Akkademja tal-Malti in 1937, serving as secretary between 1939 and 1948, vice president from 1990 to 1992, and president of its sub-committee for orthographic matters for many years. He was also a member of the Malta Drama League, and co-founder of the Xirka għat-Tixrid tal-Ilsien Malti (Association for Spreading the Maltese Language), which was established in 1939.

Chetcuti is best known for his novels L-Isqaq (voted best novel of the year 1962), and Nirien ta Mħabba (1967),along with plays Il-Kerrejja (1963) and 1919 (1986). His many other publications include novels Id-Dawl tal-Ħajja (1957), Imħabba u Mewt (1961), It-Tnalja (1963), Qabel Telgħet ix-Xemx (1987), Manwela (1993), and It-Teżor ta Dun Natal (1996), poetry collections Poeżiji (1945), Melita Invicta (1945), and Il-Ħajja Nzul u Tlajja (1964), and plays Il-Kerrejja (1963), Imħuħ Morda (1965), and Manwela (1979).

Some of his works have been translated into other languages. L-Isqaq was translated into English as An Alley In Malta (1971) by Maud Ruston, and into Arabic by Ibrahim Irnigami (1978). Ruston also translated It-Tnalja as The Snare (1978).

Ġuże' Chetcuti was awarded the Citta' di Valletta in 1986, and was appointed member of the National Order of Merit (MOM) in 1996.

He died on 18 July 2006 at the age of 91.