Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
From Gianni Rodari, the visionary Italian children's author of the 20th century and recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, comes a collection of essays on fairy tales, folk tales, creation, and the imagination. Replete with inventive teaching strategies and unconventional thought experiments, Rodari gives credence to fantasy as a way of life. In this edition, wonderfully translated by Jack Zipes, one of the US's foremost experts on children's literature, and illustrated for the first time ever, lovers of literature, language, and writing of all ages will find a wellspring of inspiration.
Synopsis
From the father of modern
Italian children's literature, a guide to fairytales and folk tales and their
great advantages in teaching creative storytelling.
A groundbreaking pedagogical work that is also a
handbook for writers of all ages and kinds, The Grammar of
Fantasy gives each of us a playful, practical path to finding our own
voice through the power of storytelling. Full of ideas, glosses on fairytales,
stories, and wide-ranging activities, including the fantastic binomial, this
book changed how creative arts were taught in Italian schools.
Gianni Rodari is widely regarded as the father
of modern Italian children's literature, but he is also remembered for his
visionary pedagogy, and it is these two fields he combines in this revolutionary
essay collection. Translated into English by acclaimed children's historian
Jack Zipes and illustrated for the first time ever by Matthew Forsythe, this
edition of The Grammar of Fantasy is one to live with and
return to for its humor, intelligence, and truly deep understanding of
children.
As translator and esteemed fairytale scholar
Jack Zipes puts it, "Rodari grasped children's need to play with life's rules
by using the grammar of their own imaginations. They must be encouraged to
question, challenge, destroy, mock, eliminate, generate, and reproduce their
own language and meanings through stories that will enable them to narrate
their own lives."
"I
hope this small book," writes Rodari, "can be useful for all those people who
believe it is necessary for the imagination to have a place in education; for
all those who trust in the creativity of children; and for all those who know
the liberating value of the word."
Synopsis
From the father of modern Italian children's literature, a guide to fairy tales and their potential for teaching creative storytelling to children--with radiant illustrations from Matt Forsythe and a refreshed translation from Jack Zipes "The ultimate synthesis of Rodari's exuberant knowledge, a book of both pedagogy and poetics, poetry for teachers and pedagogy for poets." --Italo Calvino
A groundbreaking pedagogical work that is also a handbook for writers of all ages and kinds, The Grammar of Fantasy offers a playful, practical path to finding your own voice through the power of storytelling. Full of ideas, glosses on fairy tales, stories, and wide-ranging activities, this book changed how the creative arts were taught in Italian schools.
Gianni Rodari is not only revered as a children's author, but also remembered for his visionary pedagogy, and it is these two fields he combines in this revolutionary work.
Translated into English by acclaimed scholar of folklore and children's literature Jack Zipes, and with original art from illustrator Matthew Forsythe, this edition of The Grammar of Fantasy is one to live with and return to for its humor, intelligence, and remarkable understanding of children.