Books with author Ann Lawson Lucas

The story of the wooden puppet who learns goodness and becomes a real boy is famous the world over, and has been familiar in English for over a century. From the moment Joseph the carpenter carves a puppet that can walk and talk, this wildly inventive fantasy takes Pinocchio through countless adventures, in the course of which his nose grows whenever he tells a lie, he is turned into a donkey, and is swallowed by a dogfish, before he gains real happiness.This new translation does full justice to the vibrancy and wit of Collodi's original. Far more sophisticated, funny, and hard-hitting than the many abridged versions (and the sentimentalized film) of the story would suggest, Ann Lawson Lucas's translation captures the complexity of Collodi's word-play, slapstick humour, and immediacy of dialogue. An adult reader will recognize social and political satire, and the invaluable introduction and notes illuminate the cultural traditions on which Collodi drew.About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Carlo Collodi (pseudonym of Carlo Lorenzini) was born in Florence in 1826. He was deeply committed to the political objectives of the Risorgimento: the self-government and unification of Italy, and sympathized with the democratizing reforms accompanying it. Professionally a civil servant, he devoted his most enthusiastic energies to his prolific writing as a freelance journalist and satirical critic of the social and political scene. Also the author of novels and plays, at almost 50 he was commissioned to translate Perrault's fairy tales into Italian. A further commission produced a modern version of a children's classic: Giannettino was an entertaining story which successfully disguised its didactic purpose; it was followed, until the end of Collodi's life, by a series of sequels. The Adventures of Pinocchio was originally serialized in a children's newspaper, with resounding success, and was published as a book in 1883. Collodi died in 1890.