Roberto Piumini

Roberto Piumini is an Italian writer, known particularly for his children's stories.
Born in the town of Edolo in Lombardy, Piumini graduated with a degree in pedagogy from the Università Cattolica in Milan. His first book, Il giovane che entrava nel palazzo, won the first edition of the Cento Prize for children's books, chaired by author Gianni Rodari. During his long and prolific career he has written stories and poetry for readers of all ages and has been awarded numerous prizes. He is regarded as one of Italy's "most beloved children's authors".

Selected works

Il giovane che entrava nel palazzo
Il cuoco prigioniero, on which was based the animated film Totò Sapore [e la magica storia della pizza]
Il carro a sei ruote
Lo stralisco
Motu-Iti. L'isola dei gabbiani
Denis del pane
Mattia e il nonno
Caratteristiche del bosco sacro
Il diavolo al mulino
La nuova Commedia di Dante
L'amatore
L'amorosa figura
Tre fratelli Piumini
I silenziosi strumenti d'amore
Shakespeare in versi
Alzati, Martin
La rosa di Brod
La barba del Manzoni
Kintaro. Il ragazzo d'oro

His lyrics have been set to music by Enzo Rao for songs performed by Oriana Civile

Works in translation

English translations of stories told or retold by Roberto Piumini include:

The Tortoise and the Hare, illustrated by Barbara Nascimbeni
The Selfish Giant, illustrated by Nicoletta Costa
Glowrushes, translated by Leah Janeczko

His stories have been translated into numerous other languages including French, German, Dutch, and Polish.
His poem Is There Something in the Air?, a "playful antivirus made of words", has been translated into over 40 languages.

Awards

1979 - Cento Prize for Il giovane che entrava nel palazzo
1983 - Premio Andersen Baia delle favole
1984 - Premio Le Palme d'oro for Storie dell'orizzonte
1991 - Premio letterario Piero Chiara
1994 - Vlag en Wimpel award for the Dutch translation of Mattia e il nonno
1995 - Vlag en Wimpel award for the Dutch translation of Lo stralisco
1995 - Premio Dessì for La rosa di Brod
1995 - Premio Cento for Denis del pane
1998 - Rattenfänger-Literaturpreis Hameln for the German translation of Motu-Iti: l'isola dei gabbiani
2012 - Premio Settembrini for L'amatore,
2014 - Premio Graziosi Terra lifetime achievement award, in particular for Mattia e il nonno
2020 - Premio Andersen - Trofeo Baia delle Favole for Nel regno di Bistoria
2020 - Premio Rodari lifetime achievement award