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
Title: Story of a Puppet or the Adventures of Pinocchio
Year: 1892
Publishing house: London, T. Fisher Unwin, translated into English by Mary Alice Murray, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti
Title: Pinocchio. The Adventures of a Marionette
Year: 1904 (1st ed. 1901)
Publishing house: Boston, Ginn & Co., translated into English by Walter S. Cramp, ill. by Charles Copeland
Title: Les Aventures de Pinocchio
Year: 1902
Publishing house: Paris, Librairie Fischbacher, translated into French by Emilio Treves, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti e Giuseppe Magni
Title: Pinocchios äfventyr: berättelse om en marionett
Year: 1904
Publishing house: Helsinki, Helios, translated into Swedish by Aline Pipping, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti
Title: Pinokkio. Priključenija derevjannogo mal‘čika
Year: 1908 (1st ed.)
Publishing house: St Petersburg-Moscow, M. O. Vol’f, translated into Russian by Kamill Danini (Camillo Dagnini), ill. by Enrico Mazzanti and Giuseppe Magni,
Title: Les Aventures de Pinokio
Year: 1912 (1st ed.)
Publishing house: Paris, Albin Michel, translated into French by Comtesse de Gencé, ill. by Carlo Chiostri, 1948
Title: Aventuras de Pinocho
Year: 1912
Publishing house: Madrid, Editorial Saturnino Calleja, translated into Spanish by Rafael Calleja, ill. by Carlo Chiostri
Title: Die Geschichte vom hölzernen Bengele
Year: 1913 (1st ed.)
Publishing house: Freiburg, Herder, translated into German by Anton Grumann, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti, 1925
Title: Pinochio
Year: 1925
Publishing house: Tokyo, Kaizōsha, translated into Japanese by Sato Haruo, ill. by Carlo Chiostri
Title: The Adventures of Pinocchio
Year: 1925
Publishing house: New York, Macmillan, translated into English by Carol Della Chiesa, ill. by Attilio Mussino
Title: Pinokio nuotykiai
Year: 1926
Publishing house: Kaunas, Švyturyo, translated into Lithuanian by Viktor Kamantauska, ill. by Carlo Chiostri
Title: De avonturen van Pinokkio
Year: 1927 (1st ed.)
Publishing house: '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.)
Title: Mu’ou qiyu ji
Year: 1928
Publishing house: Shanghai, Kaiming shudian, translated into Chinese by Xu Diaofu, ill. by Charles Copeland, 1928
Title: Pinokjo
Year: 1930
Publishing house: London, The Esperanto Publishing Company, translated into Esperanto by Mirza Marchese and L.N. Newell, ill. by W. H. Matthews
Title: Pinoqio. Qorotav shel yeled ʻetz
Year: 1931
Publishing house: Tel Aviv, Omanut, translated into Hebrew by Israel Dushman, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti
Title: O Pipínos, istoría enós fasoulé
Year: 1931
Publishing house: Athens, Níkas, translated into Neo-Greek by Vèrta Lèka, ill. by Attilio Mussino
Title: Les aventures d’en Pinotxo
Year: 1934
Publishing house: Barcelona, Editoril “Joventut”, translated into Catalan by Maria Sandiumenge, ill. by J. Vinyals
Title: Otesánek. Pinocchiova dobrodružství
Year: 1940
Publishing house: Prague, Dědictví Komenského, translated into Czech by T. Kuška, ill. by Josef Lada
Title: Pinocho. Historia de un Muñeco
Year: 1940
Publishing house: Buenos Aires, Editorial Cactus, translated into Spanish by A. Gregori, ill. by A.F. Tolos
Title: Nosáčkova dobrodružství
Year: 1941
Publishing house: Červený Kostelec, Nakladatel Doležal, translated into Czech by Otakar Kunstovný, ill. by Josef Burjanek
Title: Les Aventures de Pinocchio
Year: 1941
Publishing house: Grenoble - Paris, B. Arthaud, translated into French by Paul Guiton, ill. by Rob D’Ac
Title: Pinocchio
Year: 1944
Publishing house: Sydney, Consolidated Press Limited, translated into English by E. Harden, ill. by Finey
Title: De avonturen van Pinokkio
Year: 1946
Publishing house: Antwerp, L. Opdebeek, translated into Flemish by Joseph Witlox, ill. by Carlo Chiostri
Title: Pinocchio. The adventures of a little wooden boy
Year: 1946
Publishing house: Cleveland and New York, The World Publishing Company, translated into English by Joseph Walker, ill. By Richard Floethe
Title: Pinocchio, der Hampelmann
Year: 1947
Publishing house: Salzburg, Jugend Verlag, translated into German by Margot Thudichum, ill. by Hans Toscano del Banner
Title: Nosáčkove dobrodružstvá
Year: 1948
Publishing house: Liptovskom Mikuláši, Tranoscius, translated into Slovak by Štefan Mihal, ill. by Vincent Hložník
Title: Binukyu
Year: 1949
Publishing house: Cairo, Dar al-maʻarif, translated into Arabic by anonymous, ill. by Shahrazad
Title: Pinoculus
Year: 1951
Publishing house: Florence, Marzocco, translated into Latin by Enrico Maffacini, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti
Title: Pinocchio: čudnovati doživljaji jednog lutka
Year: 1952
Publishing house: Zagreb, Mladost, translated into Croatian by Vjekoslav Kaleb, ill. by Beppe Porcheddu
Title: Pinokyo. Adamak-e chubi
Year: 1955
Publishing house: Tehran, Ketabkhane-ye Gutemberg, translated into Persian by Ṣadeq Chubak, ill. by Richard Floethe
Title: Die avonture van Pinokkio
Year: 1956 (1st ed.)
Publishing house: Kaapstad-Bloemfontein-Johannesburg, Nasionale Boekhandel Beperk, translated into Afrikaans by Marie Malherbe, ill. by K. Harries, 1962
Title: Aventurat e Pinokut
Year: 1956
Publishing house: Prishtinë, Mustafa Bakija, translated into Albanian by Hilmi Thači, ill. by Attilio Mussino
Title: Pinokʻioyi arkacnerә. Mi buratinoyi patmutʻyun
Year: 1956
Publishing house: Erevan, Haypethrat, translated into Armenian by Gevorg Virapyan, ill. by Attilio Mussino
Title: Rukadaya
Year: 1957
Publishing house: Colombo, Gunaseta, translated into Sinhalese by S. Gunasekara, ill. by Vimala Gunasekara
Title: Mambo yaliyompata Pinokyo: hadithi ya mwanasesere
Year: 1957
Publishing house: Tabora, Tanganyika Mission Press, translated into Swahili by P. Serafino Bella Eros C.P., s.d.
Title: Pinoqio. Qorotav shel yeled ʻetz
Year: 1958
Publishing house: Tel Aviv, Masada Publishing, translated into Hebrew by Yemima Tchernovitz, ill. by Libico Maraja
Title: Pinokkio no bōken
Year: 1958
Publishing house: Tokyo, Iwanami shonen bunko, translated into Japanese by Sugiura Minpei, ill. by Eduard Bargheer
Title: L-Avventuri ta’ Pinokkjo
Year: 1960
Publishing house: Floriana, Malta Empire Press - Istitut Kattoliku, translated into Maltese by trad. Paul C. Gauci, ill. by Will Nickless
Title: Pinocchiova dobrodružství
Year: 1962
Publishing house: Prague, Albatros, translated into Czech by Jan and Marie Holických, ill. by Helena Zmatlíková
Title: Kaṭh’put’lā
Year: 1962
Publishing house: New Dehli, Shrikant Prakashan, translated into Panjabi by Rajindar Singh Ahluvalia, ill. by Brijpal Singh, Amarjit Singh
Title: Aventurile lui Pinocchio
Year: 1962
Publishing house: Bucarest, Editura Tineretului, translated into Romanian by Romulus Alexandrescu, ill. by Eugen Taru
Title: Priključenija Pinokkio
Year: 1965
Publishing house: Sofia, Narodna Mladež, translated into Russian by Emmanuil Genrikhovič Kazakevič, ill. by Libico Maraja
Title: Pinokio Piedzīvojumi
Year: 1966
Publishing house: Riga, Liesma, translated into Latvian by S. Ķuze, ill. by V. Alfejevskis
Title: Pinocchio
Year: 1966
Publishing house: Bratislava, Mladé letá, translated into Slovak by Štefan Gráf, ill. by Svetozár Králik
Title: Das Märchen vom Pinocchio
Year: 1968
Publishing house: Zurich, Silva-Verlag, translated into German by anonimo, ill. by Martha Pfannenschmid
Title: Pinokkio no bōken
Year: 1970
Publishing house: Tokyo, Fukuinkan Shoten, translated into Japanese by Andō Mikio, ill. by Usui Miyako
Title: Pinku ke kār’nāman
Year: 1972
Publishing house: New Delhi, Ministry of Information, translated into Hindi by Vishvanath Gupta
Title: Isariolona
Year: 1973
Publishing house: Fianarantsoa, Librairie Ambozontany, translated into Malagasy by Elisabeth Ravaoarivelo, ill. by Noël Razafintsalama
Title: Ostržek
Year: 1975
Publishing house: Ljubljana, Mladinska Knjiga, translated into Slovenian by Albert Širok, ill. by Marlenka Stupica
Title: Les Aventures de Pinocchio
Year: 1977
Publishing house: Paris, Souveraine Editions, translated into French by Henri Louette, ill. by Jean Reschofsky
Title: Petualangan Pinokio
Year: 1977
Publishing house: Jakarta, Pustaka Jaya, translated into Indonesian by Chairul Bahri
Title: Les Aventures de Pinocchio
Year: 1978
Publishing house: Milan, Éditions Piccoli, translated into French by Nine Charpiot andRaoul Bossuyt, ill. by Rialdo Guizzardi
Title: Pinocchio: en tredukkes merkelige opplevelser
Year: 1978
Publishing house: Oslo, Damm, translated into Norwegian by Anne Margrethe Konow Lund, ill. by Freda Magnussen
Title: Mu’ou qiyu ji
Year: 1980
Publishing house: Beijing, Waiguo wenxue chubanshe, translated into Chinese by Ren Rongrong, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti e Attilio Mussino
Title: Pinocchio. Historien om en marionetdukke
Year: 1983
Publishing house: Copenhagen, Gyldendals Børnebogklub, translated into Danish by Birgitte Brix, ill. by Roald Als
Title: Pinoqio
Year: 1984
Publishing house: Tel Aviv, Zemorah Beytan, translated into Hebrew by Miriam Padovano, ill. by Attilio Mussino
Title: Pinocchio: ehk Puunuku seiklused
Year: 1985
Publishing house: Tallin, Eesti Raamat, translated into Estonian by Tiina Laats, ill. by Jarõna Ilo
Title: Pinocchios Abenteuer. Die Geschichte einer Holzpuppe
Year: 1986
Publishing house: Stuttgart, Reclam, translated into German by Hubert Bausch, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti
Title: Pinokio
Year: 1987
Publishing house: Sarajevo, Svjetlost, translated into Bosnian by Razija Sarajlić, ill. by Milivoje Unković
Title: Pinokio
Year: 1990
Publishing house: Poznan, Oficyna Wydawnicza, translated into Polish by Zofia Jachimecka, ill. by Jan Marcin Szancer
Title: Pinokyo
Year: 1991
Publishing house: Istanbul, Can Yayinlari, translated into Turkish by Egemen Berköz, ill. by Carlo Chiostri
Title: As aventuras de Pinóquio
Year: 1993
Publishing house: Lisbon, Caminho, translated into Portuguese by José Colaço Barreiros, ill. by Manuela Bacelar
Title: Las aventuras de Pinocho
Year: 1994
Publishing house: Madrid, Anaya, translated into Spanish by José Golacheca, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti and Carlo Chiostri
Title: The Adventures of Pinocchio
Year: 1996
Publishing house: Oxford, Oxford University Press, translated into English by Ann Lawson Lucas, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti
Title: Pinokkió kalandjai
Year: 1997
Publishing house: Budapest, Ciceró Könyvkiadó, translated into Hungarian by Rónay György, ill. by Szecskó Tamás
Title: Priključenijata na Pinokio
Year: 1998
Publishing house: Sofia, Kibea, translated into Bulgarian by Peter Dragoev, ill. by Roberto Innocenti,
Title: Chú Ngu’ò’igồ
Year: 1999
Publishing house: Hanoi, Kim Đồng, translated into Vietnamese by Thái Hoàng Linh, without ill.
Title: Binukyu
Year: 2001
Publishing house: Soussa-Tunis, Dar al-maʻarif li-l-tabaʻa wa-l-nashr, translated into Arabic by Najib Al-Lajmi, ill. by anon.
Title: Pinocchio
Year: 2001
Publishing house: Droichead Nua Cill Dara [Newbridge, Kildare], Goldsmith, translated into Irish by Pádraig Ó Buachalla, ill. by Carlo Chiostri
Title: Pinuci
Year: 2001
Publishing house: Trieste, Mgs Press, translated into Trieste dialect by Nereo Zeper, ill. by José
Title: Pinokyo
Year: 2002
Publishing house: Istanbul, Alfa, translated into Turkish by Mustafa Öddemiş, ill. by anon.
Title: The Adventures of Pinocchio
Year: 2005
Publishing house: Oakland, Cal., University of California Press, translated into English by Nicolas J. Perella, ill. by Enrico Mazzanti
Title: P’inok’io
Year: 2004
Publishing house: Seoul, Sigongjuniŏ, translated into Korean by Kim Hongnae, ill. by Iassen Ghiuselev
Title: Pinokyo. Adamak-e chubi
Year: 2005
Publishing house: Tehran, Ketab-ha-ye Banafshe, translated into Persian by Moṣtafa Raḥmandust, ill. by Gioia Fiammenghi
Title: Mu’ou qiyu ji
Year: 2008
Publishing house: Taipei, Jing Zhong yu guoji gufen youxian gongsi, translated into Chinese by Anonimous, edited by Chen Xiuqin, ill. by Roberto Innocenti
Title: Kāṭher mānuṣ Pinokio
Year: 2009
Publishing house: Dhaka, Academic Press, translated into Bengali by Marino Rigon and Tarek Reza, ill. by Fiorenzo Faorzi
Title: As Aventuras de Pinóquio: História de um Boneco
Year: 2012
Publishing house: São Paulo, Cosac Naify, translated into Portuguese/ Brazilian by Ivo Barroso, ill. by Alex Cerveny
Title: Le avventure di Pinocchio
Year: 2012
Publishing house: Pesaro, Comune di Pesaro, translated into Pesaro dialect by Marcello Martinelli, ill. by Giuseppe Ballarini
Title: Petualangan Pinokio
Year: 2014
Publishing house: Jakarta, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, translated into Indonesian by Lulu Wijaya, ill. by Ratu Lakhsmita Indira
Title: Binukyu. Qissa dumya mutaharrika
Year: 2017
Publishing house: Milan, Al-Mutawassit, translated into Arabic by Yusuf Waqqas, without. ill., 2017
Title: Pinókio
Year: 2017
Publishing house: Athens, Psychoios, translated into Neo-Greek by Theodora Darviri, ill. by Manuela Andreani
Title: Pinokyo. Qesse-ye yek adamak-e chubi
Year: 2017
Publishing house: Tehran, Kargah-e film va gerafik-e Sepas, translated into Persian by Gholamreza Emami, ill. by Roberto Innocenti
Title: Pinokyo
Year: 2019
Publishing house: Ulaan Bataar, Mon sudar, translated into Mongolian by Ts. Oyumaa, ill. by B. Gantuul
Title: P’inok’io
Year: 2020
Publishing house: Seoul, Tŏk’ŭllaesik, translated into Korean by Yi Siyŏn, without. ill