Gianni Rodari: the Italian children's author who rewrote the rules of fantasy

Gianni Rodari, who faced excommunication from the Vatican in 1951, received the Premio Andersen in 1970. He was born on 23 October 1920 in Omegna and relocated to Gavirate following his father's passing. Rodari attended a Catholic seminary but left in 1934, later qualifying as a primary school teacher in 1937. On 1 May 1944, he became a member of the Italian Communist Party, subsequently editing L'Ordine Nuovo and joining L'Unità in 1947. In 1950, he established the children's publication Pioniere and authored notable works such as Il Libro delle filastrocche and La freccia azzurra. His influential pedagogical work, Grammatica della Fantasia, was released in 1973. He passed away from cardiac failure in Rome on 14 April 1980 at the age of 59.