17 Facts About Frans Sammut

Frans Sammut was a Maltese novelist and non-fiction writer.

Frans Sammut was later married to Catherine nee Cachia, with whom he had two sons, Mark and Jean-Pierre.

Frans Sammut's granddaughter, Katrine Sammut, is a Latvian author, who wrote Pino un Maksis vieni majas.

Frans Sammut ended his career in education as a Head of School, though from 1996 to 1998 he was Cultural Consultant to the Prime Minister of Malta.

Frans Sammut published numerous works, including the best-selling novels Il-Gagga, which was the basis of Gagga the 1971 film directed by Mario Philip Azzopardi, aided by Cesare Catania, Samuraj, which won the Rothmans Prize, Paceville, which won the Government's Literary Medal.

Frans Sammut published collections of short stories: Labirint, Newbiet, and Hrejjef Zminijietna.

In 2009, Frans Sammut presented a reinterpretation of Pietru Caxaro's poem "Xidew il-qada", the oldest written document in the Maltese language.

Frans Sammut translated important works for theatre: Racine's Phedre and Maxim Gorki's The Lower Depths, both represented at the Manoel Theatre, under the direction of poet Mario Azzopardi.

Frans Sammut's novels are studied at the University of Malta.

Marie Benoit The Malta Independent 05.05.2011: What always struck me about Frans Sammut is his lack of intellectual pretension.

Frans Sammut carried his considerable learning and extensive knowledge, especially of French history, so lightly.

Charles Flores Malta Today 08.05.2011: More than anything Frans Sammut couldn't stand hypocrisy.

Labour MP Owen Bonnici described Frans Sammut as having earned for himself this title because of his stature in Maltese literature.

Lino Spiteri The Sunday Times 08.05.2011: The untimely death of Frans Sammut has deprived Malta of one of its greatest men of letters.

Frans Sammut was a vivid, robust character who lit up wherever he was active.

Frans Sammut was an intellectual in the true sense of the word, never at peace, always questioning, probing, researching, challenging.

Frans Sammut gave us Il-Gagga, one of the greatest Maltese novels of all time.