Rodari biography. Giovanni Francesco Rodari

In Russia, J. Rodari is probably loved by everyone - both children and adults. They love him for his cheerfulness and inexhaustible imagination, for his funny humor. They are valued for their respect for the hands of honest workers and for their dislike for rich white-handed people. He knew perfectly well what different professions smell like, what the tears of beggar children are worth. Without hiding the fact that there is a huge amount of injustice in the world - in a world where money reigns - Rodari believed in the victory of love and goodness and with this faith captivated his readers.

By inventing his fairy tales, Gianni Rodari helped educate children all over the world. He wanted them to be creative people - and it didn’t matter whether they became astronauts or geologists, drivers or sailors, doctors or pastry chefs. After all, a vivid imagination is needed not so that everyone will be poets, but in order to “not be a slave.”
It is also worth noting that Rodari’s fairy tales instill masculinity, kindness and honesty in children, making them cheerful and talkative - so that they always remain optimistic. It was this goal that he sought to achieve with all his works.

The characters born from the imagination of D. Rodari appeared from the pages of a fairy tale. The writer met the funny Neapolitan face of his hero in the Palace of Culture, in the theater foyer, and in the homes of Moscow children. A storyteller's dream has come true. The toys he made “from letters” in his stories turned into real ones. They can be fun to play with the whole family. Rodari's fairy tales are the same ordinary toys that help moms and dads get closer to their children and laugh together. On our website you can view an online list of Gianni Rodari's fairy tales and enjoy reading them absolutely free.

Chapter 1. Signora five minutes to the Baroness Fairy was an old lady, very well-bred and noble, almost a baroness. “They call me,” she sometimes muttered to herself, “just Fairy, and I don’t protest: after all, you need to have condescension towards the ignorant.” But I'm almost a baroness; decent people know this. “Yes, Signora Baroness,” the maid assented. “I’m not a 100% baroness, but I don’t have enough of her...

CHAPTER 1: In which Cipollone crushed Prince Lemon's leg Cipollino was Cipollone's son. And he had seven brothers: Cipolletto, Cipollotto, Cipolloccia, Cipolluccia and so on - the most suitable names for an honest onion family. They were good people, I must say frankly, but they were just unlucky in life. What can you do: where there are onions, there are tears. Cipollone, his wife and sons lived in a wooden shack...

There was once a war, a big and terrible war between two countries. A lot of soldiers then died on the battlefield. We were on our side, and the enemies were on theirs. The shooting went on day and night, but the war still did not end, and we began to run out of bronze for the guns, ran out of iron for the machine guns, and so on. Then our commander, Overgeneral...

Imagine: one day, on the main square of the city, suddenly... an ice cream palace appeared! A real palace, with a roof made of whipped cream and chimneys made of candied fruits. Mmmm... how yummy! All the townspeople are children and even old women! - we spent the whole day devouring a delicious palace on both cheeks, and at the same time no one’s tummies hurt! This wonderful ice cream palace was “built” in one of his fairy tales by an Italian writer named Gianni Rodari.
...The parents of the most famous storyteller in the world - Hans Christian Andersen - were a shoemaker and a washerwoman. And Gianni Rodari grew up in a family of a baker and servants. Both storytellers were not spoiled in childhood by either luxury or satiety. However, it was next to them that a wonderful sorceress and fairy settled from a young age, who chooses very few - Fantasia. More precisely, in childhood she comes to everyone, and then remains only with her most beloved ones. She leaves the evil, cruel, greedy and unjust, but comes to where kindness and pity live. Little Gianni wrote poetry, learned to play the violin and enjoyed drawing, dreaming of becoming a famous artist.
When the boy Gianni was only nine years old, his beloved father, who always felt sorry for stray cats, dogs and generally every living creature, saved a small kitten during the pouring rain, which almost drowned in a huge puddle. The kitten was saved, but the kind baker caught a cold in the cold rain, contracted pneumonia and died. Of course, such a noble man simply could not have raised a bad son!
Gianni Rodari always remembered his father and adopted from him the desire for justice, hard work and a kind, bright soul.
At seventeen, Gianni became a primary school teacher. His pupils built houses from letters, composed fairy tales together with the teacher and felt completely happy: such activities brought a lot of joy.
Well, how could fairy Fantasia leave such a wonderful person? She watched with admiration the unusual adult who had not forgotten about the world of childhood, and sometimes even helped him write books.
But he also fell in love with her. And in honor of his fairy, he even wrote one of the most amazing books for children and adults called “The Grammar of Fantasy” - about how to teach children to compose. Not at all so that they all become writers and poets, but so that “no one is a slave.” Because fantasy not only develops the mind. The main thing is that it makes a person kinder, stronger and freer.
Gianni Rodari hated oppression and always fought for justice - both when he fought the fascists with weapons in his hands, and when he worked as a correspondent for the newspaper Unity (his sharp pen was a weapon no less powerful than a rifle).
His heroes also fought against evil: the clever Cipollino, the honest master Vinogradinka, the gentle professor Grusha and many others, thanks to whom the fairy-tale land of vegetables became free, and the children in it were able to study and play wherever they wanted.
Gianni Rodari, a cheerful, cheerful, inexhaustible and very kind storyteller, gave children many extraordinary stories with which they can play, like with colorful balls. “The Adventures of Cipollino”, “The Journey of the Blue Arrow”, “Gelsomino in the Land of Liars”, “The Grammar of Fantasy” - these books were loved by children all over the world.
It was he, Gianni Rodari, who brought the brave and kind Cipollino into our homes, he gave us the opportunity to hear the wonderful voice of Gelsomino, destroying the walls of prisons, in his fairy tale the devoted toy puppy Button turns into a living dog, and in another fairy tale the boy Marco, traveling in space on a wooden horse, I ended up on the planet of Christmas trees, where there is no fear or resentment. However, if we talk about all the heroes of the books of the Italian storyteller, then not a single page in the magazine will be enough. So it’s better to read Rodari’s books, and their heroes will become your true friends for life!

Biography

Gianni Rodari (Italian: Gianni Rodari, 1920-1980) is a famous Italian children's writer and journalist.

Rodari was born on October 23, 1920 in the small town of Omegna (northern Italy). His father, a baker by profession, died when Gianni was only ten years old. Rodari and his two brothers, Cesare and Mario, grew up in their mother's native village, Varesotto. Sick and weak since childhood, the boy was fond of music (he took violin lessons) and books (he read Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Lenin and Trotsky). After three years of study at the seminary, Rodari received a teaching diploma and at the age of 17 began teaching in the primary classes of local rural schools. In 1939, he attended the Faculty of Philology of the University of Milan for some time. During World War II, Rodari was released from service due to poor health. He briefly joined the fascist party. After the death of two close friends and the imprisonment of his brother in a concentration camp, Cesare became involved in the Resistance Movement and in 1944 joined the Italian Communist Party. In 1948, Rodari became a journalist for the communist newspaper L'Unita and began writing books for children. In 1950, the party appointed him editor of the newly created weekly magazine for children, Il Pioniere, in Rome. In 1951 Rodari published his first collection of poems, “The Book of Merry Poems,” and his most famous work, “The Adventures of Cipollino” (the Russian translation was published in 1953). In 1952, he first went to the USSR, where he then visited several times. married Maria Teresa Ferretti, who four years later gave birth to his daughter, Paola. In 1957, Rodari passed the exam to become a professional journalist. In 1966-1969, Rodari did not publish books and only worked on projects with children. In 1970. the writer received the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen medal, which helped him gain worldwide fame. He also wrote poems that reached the Russian reader in translations by Samuil Marshak. Rodari died on the operating table on April 14, 1980 in Rome. Some works Collection "Book of Merry Poems" ( Il libro delle filastrocche, 1950) “Instruction for a Pioneer”, (Il manuale del Pionere, 1951) “The Adventures of Cipollino” (Il Romanzo di Cipollino, 1951; published in 1957 under the title Le avventure di Cipollino) Collection of poems “The Train of Poems” (Il treno delle filastrocche, 1952) “Gelsomino in the Land of Liars” (Gelsomino nel paese dei bugiardi, 1959) Collection “Poems in Heaven and on Earth” (Filastrocche in cielo e in terra, 1960) Collection “Tales on the Telephone” (Favole al telefono, 1960) “Jeep on TV” (Gip nel televisore, 1962) “Planet of Christmas Trees” (Il pianeta degli alberi di Natale, 1962) “The Journey Blue Arrow" (La freccia azzurra, 1964) "What mistakes happen" (Il libro degli errori, Torino, Einaudi, 1964) Collection "Cake in the sky" (La Torta in cielo, 1966) "How Giovannino, nicknamed the Idler, traveled" ( I viaggi di Giovannino Perdigiorno, 1973) “The Grammar of Fantasia” (La Grammatica della fantasia, 1973) “Once upon a time there was twice Baron Lamberto” (C" era due volte il barone Lamberto, 1978) “Vagabonds” (Piccoli vagabondi, 1981) Selected stories “Guidoberto and the Etruscans” “Ten Kilos of the Moon” “House of Ice Cream” “How Giovannino Touched the King’s Nose” “Elevator to the Stars” “Magicians at the Stadium” “Miss Universe with Dark Green Eyes” “The Robot Who Wanted to Sleep” “Sakala, pakala” “Runaway nose” “Sirenide” “The man who bought Stockholm” “The man who wanted to steal the Colosseum”

Giovanni Francesco Rodari, (October 23, 1920 - April 14, 1980) is an Italian writer who was born in the town of Omegna in the family of a baker.

The poverty did not allow Gianni to enter a regular school, because of this he studied at a theological seminary. There was a huge magnificent library where he loved to spend time.

Gianni graduated from the seminary when he was 17, after which he began working as a school teacher in primary school. At the same time, he, as a free listener, goes to the Catholic University of Milan.

When the war began, Rodari did not bother to go to the front due to poor health, at a time when many of his friends died. This influenced the fact that Gianni Rodari joined the Italian Communist Party and the Resistance Movement in 1944.

In 1948, the writer worked as a journalist for the communist newspaper L'Unita and began writing children's books. And in 1950, Gianni Rodari was appointed by the party as editor of the newly created children's magazine. p>

In 1952, the writer visited the USSR for the first time, and some time later he married Maria Teresa Ferretti. Gianni Rodari gained worldwide fame thanks to S. Marshak, who was able to translate “The Adventures of Cipollino” into Russian.

In 1957, Gianni passed the exam and received the title of professional journalist. Then (1966-1969) the writer stopped publishing his books and began working on children's projects.

In 1970, the writer was awarded the G.H. Literary Prize. Andersen. The writer Gianni Rodari died in 1980 on the operating table.

The works of Gianni Rodari have won the hearts of children all over the world. According to the writer, books, like toys, should teach a child the basic principles of life in an entertaining way. This is how Gianni Rodari tried to make his works for children: bright, vital, instructive. The years of his childhood cannot be called prosperous, however, he was not angry with life: there is a lot of light and humor in his fairy tales, but they are not without sad aspects of social inequality. After all, a book should be truthful, revealing all aspects of life, even if it is a fairy tale about a boy with an overly loud voice, or about poor Cipollino, or about the journey of toys before Christmas.

Biography of the writer

The writer comes from a baker's family. Unfortunately, the father of the future writer died of pneumonia when Gianni was a ten-year-old boy. The family remained on the shoulders of one mother. In addition to Gianni, Rodari had two more sons.

Due to lack of funds for a secular school, the boys go to study at a theological seminary. How Rodari did not like these classes, so boring and monotonous! So I ran to the library afterwards to have some fun. There he became interested in the books of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, which were completely uncharacteristic for a teenager.

It was a great joy to finish my studies. The young man enters the university, and at the same time begins to work as a teacher, because he had to support his mother, who is exhausted to feed her sons. Life began to improve, but this period did not last long: the war began.

Rodari was not taken to the front - he was declared unfit for military service due to poor health. Difficult economic conditions and lack of money forced the writer to join the fascist party. Although he did not remain a member for long, joining the Resistance.

After the war, Rodari worked as a journalist and wrote children's books. 1953 brought happiness to the writer’s personal life: he got married, and four years later became a father. His daughter Paola became his only child. During these years, he did not publish works, but was engaged in journalism (in 1957, Rodari was certified as a professional journalist).

The writer received worldwide recognition after being awarded the Andersen Prize, a prestigious literary award.

Rodari died in 1980 from a serious illness.

The formation of creativity

How did Gianni Rodari's works for children begin to appear? The list of them is quite impressive. This includes fairy tales, short stories, and even poems. The writer began his creative activity in 1950, releasing a small collection of poems, and then the fairy tale “The Adventures of Cipollino.” Then he was appointed editor-in-chief of a children's magazine - this dictated the direction of his writing activity.

Especially the fairy tale about the onion boy, a fighter against social injustice, was loved in the USSR. Already in 1953, young residents of the Union began to read it with interest. The translation was supervised by S. Marshak himself.

At the end of the 60s, Rodari devoted his time entirely to journalism, temporarily abandoning the writing of children's works. He only works with the younger generation.

Many of Gianni Rodari's works are put into films, and he stars in one of them himself.

The success of "Cipollino" prompted the writer to create his subsequent tales about Gelsomino and the Blue Arrow. He also writes numerous short tales, stories, and instructive poems - these are the works of Gianni Rodari. The list of them is so long that we will focus on the largest and most famous ones. Let's start with the very first one, which brought the writer popularity - “The Adventures of Cipollino”

Rodari the storyteller: "The Adventures of Cippolino"

This fairy tale immediately comes to mind as soon as the question is asked: “What works did Gianni Rodari write?” Which child was not sad with Mr. Pumpkin, was not angry with the oppressor Senor Tomato, did not admire the brave boy Cipollino?!

The fairy tale is loved by readers all over the world, and has gone through numerous theatrical productions, animation and film versions. The work was especially loved in the USSR. Probably because the fairy tale raises serious issues of class inequality. This is what distinguishes many of Gianni Rodari’s children’s works.

The fairy tale tells about a poor man, Cipollino, whose father, by an absurd accident, is thrown into prison - he inadvertently stepped on the foot of Prince Lemon, the ruler of an imaginary land of vegetables. Promising to rescue his parent, the onion boy sets off on a journey. It should be said that Rodari does not specify the name of the country, which indicates its universality. Led by Prince Lemon and Countess Cherry, they have a manager - Senor Tomato. They all have to be punished by Cipollino and his newfound friends.

In this way, through light play, colorful and funny characters, young readers are exposed to the truth about a world where social injustice and oppression of the poor exist. Rodari tried to draw a parallel with the fairy tale “Pinocchio”, but in its author Collodi the issues of social strife, poverty and injustice, although they are heard, are not reflected as clearly as in “Cipollino”.

"Gelsomino in the Land of Liars"

Gianni Rodari could not stand lies. He considered liars and hypocrites to be man's greatest enemies. In his opinion, only truth could break the shackles of untruth. She, like a striking voice, must break the lie. This is the gift Rodari gave to Gelsomino.

The plot of the fairy tale takes place in the Land of Liars, where the main character ends up - the boy Gelsomino (translated into Russian as “jasmine”), who has a super-loud voice. At first, the boy does not understand whether this is a gift or a curse. However, convinced that he has no place among ordinary people, Gelsomino leaves his hometown. While traveling, he finds himself in a magical world - a country where everyone tells lies: in a store they sell ink instead of bread, people insult each other instead of compliments, artists paint implausible pictures, and only counterfeit money is in use. Even animals must obey this rule: cats must bark, cows must neigh, dogs must meow, and horses must moo.

The dictatorship of King Giacomon is to blame for everything. At first, Gelsomino does not understand what is happening around, but soon gets used to the new conditions, makes friends, among whom there is even a three-legged cat, which, unlike other relatives, fundamentally does not want to bark. Friends expose the king, and the country begins to live in an atmosphere of truth.

It is noteworthy that the works of Gianni Rodari gave the world famous sayings. One of them concerns the wonderful voice of Gelsomino. That a person speaks like Gelsomino means that he is excessively loud. Sometimes the expression "sings like Gelsomino" can be defined as high praise in a solo performance manner. The same name is used for an exceptionally honest person.

There were several translations of the fairy tale; the people of the USSR loved it, like numerous works by Gianni Rodari for children.

"The Journey of the Blue Arrow"

Rodari's childhood can hardly be called happy and joyful. All the sadness and injustice of this state of affairs, when children from poor families cannot receive gifts because their parents have no money, resulted in the fairy tale “The Journey of the Blue Arrow.”

The toys that live in the store window every day see a boy who looks sadly at the electronic train. The child's mother does not have money to buy a toy: she has not yet paid for Christmas gifts from the past two years. By the way, in the original we are talking about Christmas gifts, while in the translation we are talking about New Year's ones.

The toys decide to put an end to injustice and go on a journey to the children who were left without gifts on Christmas. The store owner's assistant shared this list with them. At this time, the boy Francesco himself is taken hostage during a robbery of a toy store. The police do not believe in his innocence, but the boy is saved by the owner of the shop, an elderly Fairy, whose seriousness is only a false mask.

"Tales on the Phone"

“Tales by Telephone” are imbued with a special poeticism. These works by Gianni Rodari are based on folklore motifs. These are the tales of the candied fruit palace, which everyone in the square could taste.

These short stories are full of deep meaning: you need to be attentive (a fairy tale about a boy who kept losing things and even body parts), kind, and sympathetic. However, you also need to be able to look at the world from an unusual perspective (“Blue traffic light”).

Fairy tales condemn laziness, rudeness and even gluttony.

"The Grammar of Fantasy"

Rodari not only wrote himself, but also encouraged others to do the same, tried to discover the gift of writing in his young readers, teach them to come up with their own bright, instructive “toy books.” The work “Grammar of Fantasy” is about this.

The writer visits the USSR more than once; he is attracted by the education system in the Union - he shares his thoughts about this, as well as about the development of creativity, in this book. It is written in the same easy, relaxed language as works of art, so it is easy for children and adults to read the work.

Some chapters are devoted to the theoretical foundations of writing: the structure of the work, proper design - all this is analyzed using examples of specific works. The author conveys a simple idea: a writer’s creativity is not a talent that comes out of nowhere; it can and should be learned.

Rodari the poet

At the very beginning of his creative career, Rodari writes poetry. The most famous thing in our country is “What crafts smell like.” This is a call to acquire a truly important profession.

Rodari, faithful to the principles of communism, believed that the development of the country was in the hands of ordinary workers, people of simple but very significant professions. This is what he is trying to convey to the little reader.