Carlo Collodi

Born Carlo Lorenzini in Florence on November 24, 1826, he became known by the pen name Carlo Collodi, taken from the Tuscan village where his mother was born. He worked as a journalist and writer, and his lively, humorous style helped him stand out long before The Adventures of Pinocchio made him famous.

Pinocchio first appeared in serial form in 1881 and was published as a book in 1883. Its mix of fantasy, comedy, danger, and moral bite gave the story unusual staying power, and Collodi's puppet hero went on to become one of the best-known characters in world literature.

Collodi died in Florence on October 26, 1890. More than a century later, his work still feels fresh: playful, strange, and deeply human, with a clear-eyed understanding of childhood and all its troublemaking energy.