Oliver Friggieri, born in Malta in 1947, studied Philosophy and Literature and holds an M.A. (1975) and PhD (1978) in Italian. Many of his books have been translated into various languages, including English, French, Macedonian, German, Greek, Romanian, Finnish, Italian, Hungarian, Arabic, Romanian and Portuguese. He addressed about 70 international congresses in various countries, and his poetry was included in some of the major poetry recitals held throughout Europe (1981-2003). Author of numerous books of poetry, criticism, novels, short stories, about 60 of which have been published in various countries. Author of numerous scholarly articles published in Maltese and international academic journals in Europe and America. Winner of international prizes, including Premio Mediterraneo Internazionale (Palermo, 1988), Malta Government Literary Award (1988, 1996, 1997), and Premio Internazionale Trieste Poesia (2002). Member of the National Order of Merit (Government of Malta, 1999). Professor and former Head of Department of Maltese at the University of Malta. The 'Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce' awarded him the gold medal for 2003. The Italian Government awarded him the honour 'al merito della Republica Italiana' for his works on the relationship between Italian and Maltese cultures.
