Ricciolina by Beatrice Brandini
The poster of the exhibition: “Explorers of Infinity. From Yambo’s novel to the Graphic novel”
The Palazzo Blu Foundation of Pisa pays homage to Yambo with the exhibition “Explorers of Infinity. From Yambo’s novel to the Graphic novel”, an eclectic and extraordinarily modern personality, born in Pisa 150 years ago.
Two editions of “Ciuffettino” by Yamb
The exhibition, open from today until November 17, pays homage to Yambo, pseudonym of Enrico de’ Conti Novelli from Bertinoro (Pisa 5 June 1874 – Florence 29 December 1943), an Italian writer, director, illustrator and comic book author, famous above all for his children’s books, such as Le avventure di Ciuffettino, Gomitolino, Lo scimmiottino verde and many others.
A drawing board by Yambo
A multifaceted personality, a prominent author of popular literature of the early twentieth century, of noble origins, his father and mother were two great theater actors (Ermete Novelli and Lina Marazzi), Yambo described fantastic and surreal worlds with irony and irreverence. A precursor of the science fiction genre, for example with his work Un matrimonio interplanetario, 1910, a film that he wrote, directed and starred in.
“Gomitolino” by Yambo
He also collaborated with La Nazione, a famous Florentine newspaper and with Topolino, where he illustrated the first science fiction comic strip stories in the history of Italian comics.
An illustration by Yambo from the book “Ciuffettino”
In the final part of his life he devoted himself to the Puppet Theater, a passion inherited from his father, with the Ciuffettino Theater at the Salone della Pergola, where his famous “puppets” acted, sang and danced like real artists.
Yambo: “The Brothers of the Red Hand”
It is wonderful that Pisa and Palazzo Blu dedicate an exhibition to such an interesting fellow citizen who is perhaps not too well known to the general public. It will be important to rediscover him and, for the “unaware,” to know him and, without a doubt, love him.
Good life to everyone!
Beatrice