Pinocchio in the World: Visual Translations

Carlo Collodi’s Le avventure di Pinocchio is the most translated Italian book in the world and is probably also the most translated literary work in the world. You can find a description of the history of this book’s success all over the world here: https://www.newitalianbooks.it/it/pinocchio-in-altre-lingue/
The exhibition below, inevitably, provides a very partial view of this history. It does, however, in addition to highlighting how there have been virtually no periods of interruption in the translations of this book since its first translation (into English by Mary Alice Murray, 1892), offer a colourful panorama of the enormous variety of approaches that have been taken to this kaleidoscopic work. Indeed, Pinocchio has been absorbed into all the different countries and languages sometimes as a story for children, sometimes a puppet play, an educational journey, a picaresque tale, a social novel… It is basically impossible to know exactly how many unabridged translations of Pinocchio there are in every language (with many translations coming from intermediary languages rather than Italian), but the number is growing all the time. The commercial success of the many transpositions of this story, which is, at the same time, both archetypical and extremely original – making Pinocchio, in the 140 years since his birth, an intimate figure in the popular imagination of every country – has often resulted in academic reinterpretations, with scholarly introductions and critical analyses, but also linguistic and meta-literary divertissements, such as the versions in classical Latin or Esperanto, and the large number of versions in dialect (and not just Italian dialects), of which we provide a couple of examples – the result of the personal need of translators to engage in and share with readers a confidential channel of appropriation of the text. And while most of these versions have been produced by commercial publishing houses, there are more than a few cases in which the idea came instead from institutional bodies that promote the dissemination of the book because of its emblematic educational value. Nevertheless, the challenge of creating a new version of Pinocchio has not just involved endless numbers of translators of every language in the world, it has also involved hundreds and hundreds of foreign illustrators, who have joined the long line of Italian illustrators, in their desire to create their own personal vision of Collodi’s masterpiece, to be added to new or already publish translations. Indeed, sometimes the success of a translation and an illustration has meant that either the translation or the illustration has been used separately in new editions, in different parts of the world and different periods. From this point of view, the greatest success has, of course, been enjoyed by the great Italian illustrators, both classic early illustrators – Enrico Mazzanti, Carlo Chiostri and Attilio Mussino – and new masters like Roberto Innocenti. All these artists rooted their illustrations in Italy, while also managing to highlight the universality that lies at the very heart of the book. There are also many well-known artists among the foreign illustrators for whom depicting scenes from Le avventure di Pinocchio has been a test and acknowledgement of their artistic skill.
The book covers in this exhibition have been arranged in chronological order (as regards the first edition of a specific translation, even when the cover shown refers to a slightly later edition), and go from country to country and language to language, to try and give an idea – at least for the few periods shown here – of the speed and inexorable nature of Pinocchio’s journey around the world.
Mario Casari, “La Sapienza” University, Rome

Story of a Puppet or the Adventures of Pinocchio
- Year: 1892
- Publisher: London, T. Fisher Unwin, translated into English by Mary Alice Murray, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti

Pinocchio. The Adventures of a Marionette
- Year: 1904 (1st ed. 1901)
- Publisher: Boston, Ginn & Co., translated into English by Walter S. Cramp, ill. by Charles Copeland

Les Aventures de Pinocchio
- Year: 1902
- Publisher: Paris, Librairie Fischbacher, translated into French by Emilio Treves, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti e Giuseppe Magni

Pinocchios äfventyr: berättelse om en marionett
- Year: 1904
- Publisher: Helsinki, Helios, translated into Swedish by Aline Pipping, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti

Pinokkio. Priključenija derevjannogo mal‘čika
- Year: 1908 (1st ed.)
- Publisher: St Petersburg-Moscow, M. O. Vol’f, translated into Russian by Kamill Danini (Camillo Dagnini), ill. by Enrico Mazzanti and Giuseppe Magni,

Les Aventures de Pinokio
- Year: 1912 (1st ed.)
- Publisher: Paris, Albin Michel, translated into French by Comtesse de Gencé, ill. by Carlo Chiostri, 1948

Aventuras de Pinocho
- Year: 1912
- Publisher: Madrid, Editorial Saturnino Calleja, translated into Spanish by Rafael Calleja, ill. by Carlo Chiostri

Die Geschichte vom hölzernen Bengele
- Year: 1913 (1st ed.)
- Publisher: Freiburg, Herder, translated into German by Anton Grumann, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti, 1925

Pinochio
- Year: 1925
- Publisher: Tokyo, Kaizōsha, translated into Japanese by Sato Haruo, ill. by Carlo Chiostri

The Adventures of Pinocchio
- Year: 1925
- Publisher: New York, Macmillan, translated into English by Carol Della Chiesa, ill. by Attilio Mussino

Pinokio nuotykiai
- Year: 1926
- Publisher: Kaunas, Švyturyo, translated into Lithuanian by Viktor Kamantauska, ill. by Carlo Chiostri

De avonturen van Pinokkio
- Year: 1927 (1st ed.)
- Publisher: 's-Gravenhage/Batavia [The Hague-Jakarta], G.B. van Goor Zonen's Uitgeversmaatschappij, translated into Dutch by Louise J. van Everdingen, ill. by Rie Cramer, 1949 (3rd ed.)

Mu’ou qiyu ji
- Year: 1928
- Publisher: Shanghai, Kaiming shudian, translated into Chinese by Xu Diaofu, ill. by Charles Copeland, 1928

Pinokjo
- Year: 1930
- Publisher: London, The Esperanto Publishing Company, translated into Esperanto by Mirza Marchese and L.N. Newell, ill. by W. H. Matthews

Pinoqio. Qorotav shel yeled ʻetz
- Year: 1931
- Publisher: Tel Aviv, Omanut, translated into Hebrew by Israel Dushman, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti

O Pipínos, istoría enós fasoulé
- Year: 1931
- Publisher: Athens, Níkas, translated into Neo-Greek by Vèrta Lèka, ill. by Attilio Mussino

Les aventures d’en Pinotxo
- Year: 1934
- Publisher: Barcelona, Editoril “Joventut”, translated into Catalan by Maria Sandiumenge, ill. by J. Vinyals

Otesánek. Pinocchiova dobrodružství
- Year: 1940
- Publisher: Prague, Dědictví Komenského, translated into Czech by T. Kuška, ill. by Josef Lada

Pinocho. Historia de un Muñeco
- Year: 1940
- Publisher: Buenos Aires, Editorial Cactus, translated into Spanish by A. Gregori, ill. by A.F. Tolos

Nosáčkova dobrodružství
- Year: 1941
- Publisher: Červený Kostelec, Nakladatel Doležal, translated into Czech by Otakar Kunstovný, ill. by Josef Burjanek

Les Aventures de Pinocchio
- Year: 1941
- Publisher: Grenoble - Paris, B. Arthaud, translated into French by Paul Guiton, ill. by Rob D’Ac

Pinocchio
- Year: 1944
- Publisher: Sydney, Consolidated Press Limited, translated into English by E. Harden, ill. by Finey

De avonturen van Pinokkio
- Year: 1946
- Publisher: Antwerp, L. Opdebeek, translated into Flemish by Joseph Witlox, ill. by Carlo Chiostri

Pinocchio. The adventures of a little wooden boy
- Year: 1946
- Publisher: Cleveland and New York, The World Publishing Company, translated into English by Joseph Walker, ill. By Richard Floethe

Pinocchio, der Hampelmann
- Year: 1947
- Publisher: Salzburg, Jugend Verlag, translated into German by Margot Thudichum, ill. by Hans Toscano del Banner

Nosáčkove dobrodružstvá
- Year: 1948
- Publisher: Liptovskom Mikuláši, Tranoscius, translated into Slovak by Štefan Mihal, ill. by Vincent Hložník

Binukyu
- Year: 1949
- Publisher: Cairo, Dar al-maʻarif, translated into Arabic by anonymous, ill. by Shahrazad

Pinoculus
- Year: 1951
- Publisher: Florence, Marzocco, translated into Latin by Enrico Maffacini, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti

Pinocchio: čudnovati doživljaji jednog lutka
- Year: 1952
- Publisher: Zagreb, Mladost, translated into Croatian by Vjekoslav Kaleb, ill. by Beppe Porcheddu

Pinokyo. Adamak-e chubi
- Year: 1955
- Publisher: Tehran, Ketabkhane-ye Gutemberg, translated into Persian by Ṣadeq Chubak, ill. by Richard Floethe

Die avonture van Pinokkio
- Year: 1956 (1st ed.)
- Publisher: Kaapstad-Bloemfontein-Johannesburg, Nasionale Boekhandel Beperk, translated into Afrikaans by Marie Malherbe, ill. by K. Harries, 1962

Aventurat e Pinokut
- Year: 1956
- Publisher: Prishtinë, Mustafa Bakija, translated into Albanian by Hilmi Thači, ill. by Attilio Mussino

Pinokʻioyi arkacnerә. Mi buratinoyi patmutʻyun
- Year: 1956
- Publisher: Erevan, Haypethrat, translated into Armenian by Gevorg Virapyan, ill. by Attilio Mussino

Rukadaya
- Year: 1957
- Publisher: Colombo, Gunaseta, translated into Sinhalese by S. Gunasekara, ill. by Vimala Gunasekara

Mambo yaliyompata Pinokyo: hadithi ya mwanasesere
- Year: 1957
- Publisher: Tabora, Tanganyika Mission Press, translated into Swahili by P. Serafino Bella Eros C.P., s.d.

Pinoqio. Qorotav shel yeled ʻetz
- Year: 1958
- Publisher: Tel Aviv, Masada Publishing, translated into Hebrew by Yemima Tchernovitz, ill. by Libico Maraja
Pinokkio no bōken
- Year: 1958
- Publisher: Tokyo, Iwanami shonen bunko, translated into Japanese by Sugiura Minpei, ill. by Eduard Bargheer

L-Avventuri ta’ Pinokkjo
- Year: 1960
- Publisher: Floriana, Malta Empire Press - Istitut Kattoliku, translated into Maltese by trad. Paul C. Gauci, ill. by Will Nickless

Pinocchiova dobrodružství
- Year: 1962
- Publisher: Prague, Albatros, translated into Czech by Jan and Marie Holických, ill. by Helena Zmatlíková

Kaṭh’put’lā
- Year: 1962
- Publisher: New Dehli, Shrikant Prakashan, translated into Panjabi by Rajindar Singh Ahluvalia, ill. by Brijpal Singh, Amarjit Singh

Aventurile lui Pinocchio
- Year: 1962
- Publisher: Bucarest, Editura Tineretului, translated into Romanian by Romulus Alexandrescu, ill. by Eugen Taru

Priključenija Pinokkio
- Year: 1965
- Publisher: Sofia, Narodna Mladež, translated into Russian by Emmanuil Genrikhovič Kazakevič, ill. by Libico Maraja

Pinokio Piedzīvojumi
- Year: 1966
- Publisher: Riga, Liesma, translated into Latvian by S. Ķuze, ill. by V. Alfejevskis

Pinocchio
- Year: 1966
- Publisher: Bratislava, Mladé letá, translated into Slovak by Štefan Gráf, ill. by Svetozár Králik

Das Märchen vom Pinocchio
- Year: 1968
- Publisher: Zurich, Silva-Verlag, translated into German by anonimo, ill. by Martha Pfannenschmid

Pinokkio no bōken
- Year: 1970
- Publisher: Tokyo, Fukuinkan Shoten, translated into Japanese by Andō Mikio, ill. by Usui Miyako

Pinku ke kār’nāman
- Year: 1972
- Publisher: New Delhi, Ministry of Information, translated into Hindi by Vishvanath Gupta

Isariolona
- Year: 1973
- Publisher: Fianarantsoa, Librairie Ambozontany, translated into Malagasy by Elisabeth Ravaoarivelo, ill. by Noël Razafintsalama

Ostržek
- Year: 1975
- Publisher: Ljubljana, Mladinska Knjiga, translated into Slovenian by Albert Širok, ill. by Marlenka Stupica

Les Aventures de Pinocchio
- Year: 1977
- Publisher: Paris, Souveraine Editions, translated into French by Henri Louette, ill. by Jean Reschofsky

Petualangan Pinokio
- Year: 1977
- Publisher: Jakarta, Pustaka Jaya, translated into Indonesian by Chairul Bahri

Les Aventures de Pinocchio
- Year: 1978
- Publisher: Milan, Éditions Piccoli, translated into French by Nine Charpiot andRaoul Bossuyt, ill. by Rialdo Guizzardi

Pinocchio: en tredukkes merkelige opplevelser
- Year: 1978
- Publisher: Oslo, Damm, translated into Norwegian by Anne Margrethe Konow Lund, ill. by Freda Magnussen

Mu’ou qiyu ji
- Year: 1980
- Publisher: Beijing, Waiguo wenxue chubanshe, translated into Chinese by Ren Rongrong, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti e Attilio Mussino

Pinocchio. Historien om en marionetdukke
- Year: 1983
- Publisher: Copenhagen, Gyldendals Børnebogklub, translated into Danish by Birgitte Brix, ill. by Roald Als

Pinoqio
- Year: 1984
- Publisher: Tel Aviv, Zemorah Beytan, translated into Hebrew by Miriam Padovano, ill. by Attilio Mussino

Pinocchio: ehk Puunuku seiklused
- Year: 1985
- Publisher: Tallin, Eesti Raamat, translated into Estonian by Tiina Laats, ill. by Jarõna Ilo

Pinocchios Abenteuer. Die Geschichte einer Holzpuppe
- Year: 1986
- Publisher: Stuttgart, Reclam, translated into German by Hubert Bausch, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti

Pinokio
- Year: 1987
- Publisher: Sarajevo, Svjetlost, translated into Bosnian by Razija Sarajlić, ill. by Milivoje Unković

Pinokio
- Year: 1990
- Publisher: Poznan, Oficyna Wydawnicza, translated into Polish by Zofia Jachimecka, ill. by Jan Marcin Szancer

Pinokyo
- Year: 1991
- Publisher: Istanbul, Can Yayinlari, translated into Turkish by Egemen Berköz, ill. by Carlo Chiostri

As aventuras de Pinóquio
- Year: 1993
- Publisher: Lisbon, Caminho, translated into Portuguese by José Colaço Barreiros, ill. by Manuela Bacelar

Las aventuras de Pinocho
- Year: 1994
- Publisher: Madrid, Anaya, translated into Spanish by José Golacheca, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti and Carlo Chiostri

The Adventures of Pinocchio
- Year: 1996
- Publisher: Oxford, Oxford University Press, translated into English by Ann Lawson Lucas, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti

Pinokkió kalandjai
- Year: 1997
- Publisher: Budapest, Ciceró Könyvkiadó, translated into Hungarian by Rónay György, ill. by Szecskó Tamás

Priključenijata na Pinokio
- Year: 1998
- Publisher: Sofia, Kibea, translated into Bulgarian by Peter Dragoev, ill. by Roberto Innocenti,

Chú Ngu’ò’igồ
- Year: 1999
- Publisher: Hanoi, Kim Đồng, translated into Vietnamese by Thái Hoàng Linh, without ill.

Binukyu
- Year: 2001
- Publisher: Soussa-Tunis, Dar al-maʻarif li-l-tabaʻa wa-l-nashr, translated into Arabic by Najib Al-Lajmi, ill. by anon.

Pinocchio
- Year: 2001
- Publisher: Droichead Nua Cill Dara [Newbridge, Kildare], Goldsmith, translated into Irish by Pádraig Ó Buachalla, ill. by Carlo Chiostri

Pinuci
- Year: 2001
- Publisher: Trieste, Mgs Press, translated into Trieste dialect by Nereo Zeper, ill. by José

Pinokyo
- Year: 2002
- Publisher: Istanbul, Alfa, translated into Turkish by Mustafa Öddemiş, ill. by anon.

The Adventures of Pinocchio
- Year: 2005
- Publisher: Oakland, Cal., University of California Press, translated into English by Nicolas J. Perella, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti

P’inok’io
- Year: 2004
- Publisher: Seoul, Sigongjuniŏ, translated into Korean by Kim Hongnae, ill. by Iassen Ghiuselev

Pinokyo. Adamak-e chubi
- Year: 2005
- Publisher: Tehran, Ketab-ha-ye Banafshe, translated into Persian by Moṣtafa Raḥmandust, ill. by Gioia Fiammenghi

Mu’ou qiyu ji
- Year: 2008
- Publisher: Taipei, Jing Zhong yu guoji gufen youxian gongsi, translated into Chinese by Anonimous, edited by Chen Xiuqin, ill. by Roberto Innocenti

Kāṭher mānuṣ Pinokio
- Year: 2009
- Publisher: Dhaka, Academic Press, translated into Bengali by Marino Rigon and Tarek Reza, ill. by Fiorenzo Faorzi

As Aventuras de Pinóquio: História de um Boneco
- Year: 2012
- Publisher: São Paulo, Cosac Naify, translated into Portuguese/ Brazilian by Ivo Barroso, ill. by Alex Cerveny

Le avventure di Pinocchio
- Year: 2012
- Publisher: Pesaro, Comune di Pesaro, translated into Pesaro dialect by Marcello Martinelli, ill. by Giuseppe Ballarini

Petualangan Pinokio
- Year: 2014
- Publisher: Jakarta, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, translated into Indonesian by Lulu Wijaya, ill. by Ratu Lakhsmita Indira

Binukyu. Qissa dumya mutaharrika
- Year: 2017
- Publisher: Milan, Al-Mutawassit, translated into Arabic by Yusuf Waqqas, without. ill., 2017

Pinókio
- Year: 2017
- Publisher: Athens, Psychoios, translated into Neo-Greek by Theodora Darviri, ill. by Manuela Andreani

Pinokyo. Qesse-ye yek adamak-e chubi
- Year: 2017
- Publisher: Tehran, Kargah-e film va gerafik-e Sepas, translated into Persian by Gholamreza Emami, ill. by Roberto Innocenti

Pinokyo
- Year: 2019
- Publisher: Ulaan Bataar, Mon sudar, translated into Mongolian by Ts. Oyumaa, ill. by B. Gantuul

P’inok’io
- Year: 2020
- Publisher: Seoul, Tŏk’ŭllaesik, translated into Korean by Yi Siyŏn, without. ill
