Yambo: The Italian Jules Verne and Forgotten Art Pioneer

Enrico Novelli, known as Yambo (Pisa, 1874 – Florence, 1943), was a pioneering Italian science fiction writer, illustrator, filmmaker, and puppeteer. Born into an aristocratic family from San Marino, his father Ermete Novelli and mother Lina Marazzi were actors. At 16, he published his first novel, 'Dalla terra alle stelle. Viaggio attraverso l’infinito' (1890), followed by many successful books for young readers, including 'Le avventure di Ciuffettino' (1902), inspired by Collodi's Pinocchio. He directed the 1910 film 'Un matrimonio interplanetario', considered the first Italian science fiction film. Yambo worked as a journalist for 'La Sera' and later 'La Nazione', and was close to the Fascist regime, boosting his career in the 1920s-30s. He wrote historical novels like 'Santa pirateria' (1939) about the Fiume enterprise, and contributed to comics such as 'Topolino' and educational series for Vallecchi. His puppet theater flourished from 1919 until his death from a heart attack during an air raid in Florence in 1943. He is referenced in Umberto Eco's novel 'The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana', whose protagonist is named Yambo. This profile is part of Artribune's 'I dimenticati dell’arte' series by Ludovico Pratesi, highlighting forgotten artists.