Emblematic journeys: Gianni Rodari in the USSR
Abstract
The article focuses on the success of the works of the Italian children’s writer Gianni Rodari in the Soviet Union. One of the reasons for Gianni Rodari’s success in his native Italy lies in his previous popularity in the Soviet Union, thanks to early translations of his works by Samuil Marshak and his numerous visits to the USSR beginning in the 1950s. A committed communist, Rodari wanted to get a better understanding of the country that he admired so much. However, his political attitude was not narrow-minded; he investigated the Soviet education system and style of upbringing and communicated with his readers – Soviet children. In Cipollino, the author created a universally acknowledged ideal of a good and honorable hero who fights for freedom, plays in earnest, laughs at difficulties and strives to grow up into a responsible citizen. There are two main factors that contributed to the success of Rodari’s works with Soviet readers: first, their material contains an in-depth interpretation of the concept of utopia. Rodari understood utopia not as an abstraction but as a real responsibility of humanity for its better future. Second, in his creative work, the author pays great attention to folk art, which is a theme running through his rhymes, fairy tales, and stories. Folk tradition was a fundamental element both in Italian children’s literature and the Soviet children’s literature promoted by Marshak and other prominent writers for children in the first half of 20th century. These two vectors are perfectly combined in Cipollino, a favourite character with Soviet children, whose adventures are still being translated and staged in theatres outside Italy. The interaction of these vectors explains why the Italian writer is still widely read and loved, his poems are included in school syllabi, and his words are acquiring a new meaning in the 21st century. The article also reveals the reasons for the lasting popularity of Gianni Rodari’s translated works in intersemiotic cultural space of film and cartoons, ballet etc in Russia, Ukraine and other post-Soviet states.
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