Interesting bits of history about writers and literature.
Characters in books are often perceived as mere creations of an author, brought to life only by the words on a page. However, this view limits the true essence of what book characters represent. Books transcend the confines of their stories; they possess a life of their own, shaped by the interaction between the author’s […]
Italian literature is expansive, spanning from the days of ancient Rome to contemporary times, with countless writers capturing the essence of their eras, lives, and emotions. Literature isn’t merely a dry academic study; it’s an immersion into the depicted period, a study of language and its evolution, and an exploration of human beings. It’s the […]
Nowadays, we have the luxury of using computers, phones, and tablets to take notes wherever we go, with the internet accessible almost everywhere. However, in the era before the twentieth century, such conveniences were nonexistent, but there were removable cuffs. The phrase “off the cuff” is believed to have originated from the old practice of […]
The Opera dei Pupi is the traditional puppet theater of Sicily. Pupari are the people who animate the puppets, tell the story, and even act as directors. The pupari present stories derived from medieval epic literature, with its chivalric episodes, lives of saints and brigands. The history of Sicilian puppets dates back over 100 years, […]
L’inferno di Topolino is a comic story, parody of Dante’s Inferno, published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore in the periodical Topolino – from no. 7 to no. 12 – from October 1949 to March 1950. It was created by screenwriter Guido Martina and drawn by Angelo Bioletto. In addition to the dialogues, Martina is also the […]
Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533) was an Italian poet and playwright, best known for his epic poem “Orlando Furioso” (The Frenzy of Orlando). He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and studied law at the University of Ferrara. However, he abandoned his legal career to pursue literature. Ariosto’s masterpiece, “Orlando Furioso,” is a romantic epic poem that […]