About Carlo Collodi
Carlo Collodi was the pen name of Carlo Lorenzini, an Italian writer born in Florence in 1826. He borrowed the name from the Tuscan village where his mother came from and where he spent part of his childhood.
Before writing for children, he worked for newspapers, wrote about the theatre and used humour to comment on politics. He later translated stories by Perrault into Italian and wrote books for schoolchildren.
Pinocchio’s adventures first appeared in instalments in a children’s newspaper from 1881, before becoming a book in 1883. They show Collodi’s fondness for lively conversations, jokes and one mishap following quickly after another.