Giacomo Puccini, the comic biography for children arrives a century after his death

In the year in which the whole world celebrates the centenary of the death of Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858 – Brussels 29 November 1924), an exciting and historically documented comic will arrive in bookshops on 6 March, which tells the story of his life and art to young people: I am Giacomo Puccini Of P. Alessandro Polito and Laura Pederzoli, Edizioni Curci Curci Young series, in collaboration with Cidim-Italian National Music Committee. The volume will also be available in English (I am Giacomo Puccinì) and thanks to the participation of the General Directorate for public and cultural diplomacy of the Maeci, in French (I am Giacomo Puccini).

From his youth in Lucca to his international success, at the center of the book is the exciting story of a composer who, with the strength of his female protagonists, from Tosca a Turandot, has captivated opera audiences around the world. The illustrations, the result of careful iconographic research, are accompanied by a selection of songs offered in the form of online playlists which introduce the reader to Puccini’s sound universe and act as a musical commentary on the events narrated. A compelling journey designed for the little ones (from 7 years old), which condenses the life and art of one of the greatest opera composers of all time into a few pages and with an accessible but rigorous narrative.

“I tried to tell the story of Puccini’s life and, above all, his music – explains Polito – by rigorously documenting the most recent historiographical acquisitions, without resorting to clichés or false anecdotes that have been circulating since the composer’s first biographies. I struggled a lot to characterize him and transform him into a cute cartoon. But knowing Lucca in depth, where I lived with my family for almost 20 years, helped me to immerse myself in the character and understand his choices. For the reader there is also a musical portrait: each chapter is accompanied by listening to a song (available on Spotify and Apple Music) that I specifically chose and which introduces the reader to the sound universe of Giacomo Puccini”.

“For this volume, I tried to convey the era by squeezing it out the eye to the art nouveau floral decorations – says Pederzoli – and using a color palette that helps to quickly identify the various sections into which the volume is divided. The iconographic research done together with Alessandro Polito and the frequent inspections ‘in the footsteps’ of Puccini allowed me both to recreate the architecture of the time (such as, for example, the city of Lucca), and to bring scenarios and posters to life for the reader theaters that have now entered the collective imagination. The photographic material allowed Alessandro not only to portray all the characters who appear in the comic, but also to make Puccini grow and age.”