Pinocchio

New York Review Children's Collection: Illustrated.

Though Pinocchio is among the most famous books in the world, it remains curiously misunderstood—its image shaped in many minds by the Walt Disney film, which bears little resemblance to Carlo Collodi’s brilliant original. The tale, of course, follows a puppet who, after countless trials, becomes a “real boy.” Yet it is far from a sentimental fable or moral lesson. On the contrary, Pinocchio stands as one of literature’s great subversives—a reckless, impulsive spirit driven by desire and chance, a rebellious wanderer not unlike his near contemporary, Huck Finn.

As a novel, Pinocchio is as inventive and unruly as its hero. A dazzling anomaly, it weaves together the traditions of the picaresque, street theater, and folk and fairy tales to create a work that is at once adventure, satire, and enchantment—a story that foreshadows both surrealism and magical realism. Crowded with unforgettable characters and unfolding with the dreamlike logic of myth, Pinocchio remains a marvel of modern literature—an essential companion for life.