Italy: Google celebrates 100 years of Gianni Rodari

Rome: Gianni Rodari, the celebrated Italian writer and journalist, is the star of today’s “Google Doodle” logo on the search engine homepage, on the centenary of his birth.

The Google Doodle features an onion, alongside Rodari’s face, in a reference to his much-loved children’s book Il romanzo di Cipollino, and is visible today in Italy, Greece, Russia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

Famous for his highly imaginative tales, Rodari is considered among the most influential authors of children’s literature of the 20th century.

He remains the only Italian writer to have won the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Prize in 1970, one of the most important international awards relating to children’s literature.

Born in 1920 in Omegna, on Lake Orta, Rodari had a background in education and journalism before embarking on the career that would secure his place in the hearts of children in Italy and all over the world.

Rodari died on 14 April 1980 and today his works are translated into 20 languages.