Rodari, Gianni
Rodari, Gianni (1920–80),was the most distinguished and original of writers for children in Italy in the 20th century; he has been widely translated abroad and is greatly respected among scholars and cognoscenti. While his subject‐matter is unequivocally identifiable with the 20th century, his connection with the fairy tale resides in the markedly fantastic inclination of his work and in his (often parodic) re‐use of traditional forms and devices. Brought up in the era of fascism in Italy, Rodari began reading philosophers, including Marx, while still at school and was always drawn to novel and radical ideas. Musically gifted, his career was begun as a teacher, but towards the end of World War II he joined the Communist Party and participated in the Italian Resistance movement. Like so many Italian intellectuals, he saw utopian marxism as the country's political salvation, a guarantee against future authoritarian oppression....
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