When Pinocchio Wasn't There
“Once upon a time… ‘A king!’ my young readers will say right away. No, kids, you’re wrong. Once upon a time, there was a piece of wood. It wasn’t a fancy piece of wood, but a simple log from the woodpile—the kind you put in stoves and fireplaces in the winter to light a fire and warm the rooms.” This is probably the most famous opening line in all of Italian literature. But before the piece of wood, before that “Once upon a time,” what were the Cat and the Fox doing? And Master Geppetto? Who was Mangiafoco really? And the Talking Cricket—before meeting Pinocchio—to whom did he give his wise advice? This collection of short stories explores and reimagines the lives of eight characters—both main and supporting—from *The Adventures of Pinocchio* before their encounter with the puppet. These are poetic and moving, hilarious and melancholic tales that pause at the threshold of Collodi’s novel, just before Pinocchio enters the scene, and that reveal the text’s richness and the depth of the human experience. Edited by Antonio Manzini—who also wrote the story about the Cat and the Fox—the anthology features a lineup of formidable authors: Valeria Parrella explores the past of the Talking Cricket; Fabio Stassi returns to the story of Master Geppetto; Melania Mazzucco grapples with the moving story of the Blue-Haired Fairy; The character of Lucignolo, on the other hand, is brought to life by Maurizio Maggiani, while the adventures of Mangiafoco are told through Remo Rapino’s explosive prose; Beatrice Masini focuses on one of the most terrifying characters in Collodi’s adventure, the dreadful Pescecane; finally, Gessica Franco Carlevero tackles the story of Mastro Ciliegia, the first character to notice something strange about that log.
Publication date: 15.09.2026
Publisher: Sellerio
Country: Italy
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