Joseph Friggieri

Professor Friggieri is a playwright, poet, and thinker who has been teaching philosophy for over twenty years. He studied at Oxford University and the University of Milan before residing in Malta to write and teach philosophy. He wrote the first history of philosophy to be published in Malta and has won numerous awards for his work, including the National Literary Prize in 1993, 1999 and 2003. Professor Friggieri writes not only plays but short stories and poetry, often focusing around Maltese families and people. His most popular piece, L-Istejjer tar-Ronnie, which was published in 1992 and translates to the Stories of Ronnie, was made into a popular television series. Professor Friggieri has lectured across the European Union, including Amsterdam, Venice and Genova. He is the first philosophy professor in the history of the University of Malta who is not a Catholic priest and he is a member of the Senate at the same University. He was also one of the thirteen panellists in 2012 who assessed Malta’s bid to be the European Capital City of Culture this year. Professor Friggieri’s interests include Malta’s geographical and historical placement and he continues to write theatre, poetry and short stories concerning the Maltese experience. Professor Friggieri’s passion is to bring attention back to agriculture, especially on Malta’s sister island, Gozo, to achieve not only commerce but retain something so imperative to the Maltese culture, in both the past and the present. His knowledge and understanding of Maltese history allows Professor Friggieri to talk readily about the effects of colonialism, industrialism, economy and especially the changes Malta has encountered since its induction into European Union. He is flagrantly aware of the pschye of the Maltese people and transfers this knowledge onto his students with pride.