Collodi, C.

C. Collodi, pseudonym of Carlo Lorenzini, (born Nov. 24, 1826, Florence, Tuscany [Italy]—died Oct. 26, 1890, Florence), Italian author and journalist, best known as the creator of Pinocchio, the childlike puppet whose adventures delight children around the world.

As a young man Collodi joined the seminary. The cause of Italian national unification usurped his calling, however, as he took to journalism as a means of supporting the Risorgimento in its struggle with Austria. In 1848 Collodi started publishing Il Lampione, a newspaper of political satire. With the founding of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, Collodi ceased his journalistic and militaristic activities and began writing for children.

Giannettino was published in 1876 and Minuzzolo in 1878. The first chapter of Pinocchio appeared in the Giornale dei bambini (“Children’s Magazine”) in 1881 and was an immediate success. All of Collodi’s works portray children in a realistic light, imbuing them with mischievous behaviour with which youngsters easily identify.