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Translator's Introduction
In Italy, Gianni Rodari (1920-1980) would need no introduction. A household name among educators and parents, not to mention children, he is already considered by many literary historians to be Italy's most important writer of children's literature in the twentieth century.
Rodari was born on October 23, 1920, in the town of Omegna on Lake d'Orta in northern Italy. His father, Guiseppe, was a baker, and his mother, Maddalena, who had worked in France at different jobs for some time, assisted him in the shop. Since both parents were consumed by the demanding chores of running a bakery, Rodari was brought up by a wet nurse in the nearby town of Pettenasco, as was his brother, Cesare, born a year later.
Later, when Rodan began school in Omegna, he tended to be shy and studious. He loved solitude, and by the time he was ten he began wñting poetry. Though successful at school and happy at home, he was shaken by the death of his father in 1929.
That same year, the world depression erupted. Rodañ's mother sold the bakery shop and moved to Gavirate, a town near Milan. She received a small pension, but it was barely enough to support the family. In the meantime, Rodari continued to do well at school and showed a great interest in music. From 1931 to 1934 he was sent to the seminary of San Pietro Martire di Seveso near Milan. In 1934 he transferred to the Istituto Magistrale Manzoni in Varese, and because of his good marks he received a scholarship. While there he took violin lessons and thought of becoming a professional musician. At this time, however, the depression was still in full force, and Rodari had to think of a more practical way to earn a living. Moreover, Italy was fully under the control of the fascists, and since he was opposed to fascism, it was difficult for him to find an adequate job.
In 1938 he managed to find a position tutoñng the children of a German-Jewish refugee family for six months while learning German. Then, in 1939 he enrolled at the Catholic University of Milan, but after taking a few courses and passing examinations required for teachers, he abandoned his studies...