Date: Thursday, March 13 at 9am Pacific Daylight Saving Time
Guest Speaker: Jack Zipes, Professor Emeritus of German and Comparative Literature at the University of Minnesota
Summary: Gianni Rodari, considered the “father” of modern Italian children’s literature, wrote a guide to fairy tales and their potential for teaching creative storytelling to children. Our Guest Speaker, Jack Zipes will join us in a discussion of how his own work has been influenced by Rodari’s Grammar of Fantasy. We look forward to Professor Zipes’ refreshed English translation of the Grammar of Fantasy that will be published in May 2025. Our readings include Jack Zipes’ original English translation from 1996 to help us start our discussion. Several members of our seminar, having read Rodari’s works in other languages, will also contribute to our discussion.
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/98564124237
Meeting ID: 985 6412 4237
Passcode: Vygotsky
recording:
Reference:
G. Rodari (1996). The Grammar of Fantasy. New York: Teachers and Writers Collaborative. [translated by Jack Zipes from the 1973 publication in Italian]
https://archive.org/details/the-grammar-of-fantasy/page/n77/mode/2up [archive.org]
J. Zipes (2004). Speaking Out: Storytelling and Creative Drama for Children
J. Zipes (Oct 23, 2024).Encounters with Gianni Rodari and his Grammar of Fantasy.
In Press:
G. Rodari (May 2025). The Grammar of Fantasy. Brooklyn, NY: Enchanted Lion Books. [translated by Jack Zipes]
https://www.amazon.com/Grammar-Fantasy-Introduction-Inventing-Stories/dp/1592703054 [amazon.com]
Additional Readings:
The Italian Communist Whose Radical Children’s Books Shaped a Generation
The Italian Genius Who Mixed Marxism and Children’s Literature | The New Yorker