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Italian journalist, humorist, and novelist, famous for his stories
of an Italian village where Father Camillo, the Catholic priest,
is constantly in trouble with the local Communist chief Peppone.
These two Tom and Jerry figures and their ideological disputes are
depicted with warm humour and understanding.
"... Posso fare qualche cosa per lei?"
"Si" ruggi Peppone. "Potete andare all'inferno voi e tutti i preti
dell'universo!"
"Troppa gente, compagno. Non mi piacciono i viaggi in comitiva"
rispos don Camillo.
(from Don Camillo Meets the Flower Children, 1968)
Guareschi was born in Fontanelle di Roccabianca, near Parma. His
father was a landowner and merchant, his mother a teacher. They
lost all their money in the financial crisis of 1926-27 and Guareschi
was unable to continue his studies at school. He worked then as
a doorman at a sugar refinery in Parma before entering into journalism.
Guareschi first wrote for a local newspaper. In 1929 he became editor
of the magazine Corriere Emiliano, and from 1936 to 1943
he was the chief editor of the humorous magazine Bertoldo.
During World War II Guareschi joined the Italian Army - partly
to avoid a trial after he had criticized Mussolini's government.
When the Allies signed an armistice with Italy, Guareschi was arrested
by the Germans, and sent to a concentration camp in Poland. These
experiences Guaraschi described in his war memoirs DIARIO CLANDESTINO
1943-45.
In 1945 Guareschi founded the satirical and Monarchist weekly Candido,
where his writings mostly attacked the Communist and were then used
by the anti-Communist block for their purposes. However, Guareschi
also mocked the government. In 1954 he published offending letters
allegedly written by Alcide de Gasperi, leader of the Christian
Democratic Party and the Prime Minister. These wartime letters contained
a suggestion by De Gasperi, then a leader in the Resistance, that
the British military authorities bomb Rome in order to demoralize
supporters of Germany and end the war sooner. De Gasperi denied
authorship and successfully sued, and Guareschi was sentenced to
a year in jail for libel.
In the 1950s Guareschi's Father Camillo short stories made him
one of the most popular writers in Italy. In these stories Guareschi
depicted a small village by the River Po, where a strong parish
priest, Don Camillo, and a Communist mayor, Peppone, have opposite
views in all possible social, political, moral, and other issues.
The debate between Communist block and Western World, right and
left, was touched with light satire and this skill to make both
sides look funny gained the author a wide audience. Many of the
Father Camillo stories were also adapted into screen. The title
role was played by French-born character actor Fernandel.
Guareschi and Finland: Guareaschi's books have been very
popular in Finland and read as comments on contemporary politics.
Similarities between the political situation in Finland and Italy
are several: strong Communist movement, clear dichotomy between
left and right, influential church institution. When the Reds
lost Finnish Civil War (1917-18), the Communist Party was more
or less illegal in the 1920s and 1930s. After World War II the
Communist movement gained strong support in parliament elections
and in local politics. Ideological debate did not have so deep
religious basis as in Guareschi's works, but men of principle
were as stubborn in the backwoods of Finland as in the small village
by the river Po. - Guareschi's popularity started to decrease
with the fall of the Communist movement, but in the late 1988
his short stories were reprinted by the publishing house WSOY
in the Bestsellers series.
For further reading: World Authors 1900-1950, ed. by Martin
Seymor-Smith and Andrew C. Kimmens (1996); My Secret Diary by
Giovanni Guareschi (1958); My Home, Sweet Home by Giovanni Guareschi
(1966); The Family Guareschi by Giovanni Guareschi (1970); Catholic
Authors, ed. by M. Hoehn (1952).
Camillo films starring Fernandel (Fernand Contandin, 1902-1971):
Le Petit monde de Don Camillo / The Little World of Don Camillo,
dir. by Julien Duvivier; The Return of Don Camillo dir. by Julien
Duvivier (1953); La Grande bagarre de Don Camillo / Don Camillo's
Last Round dir by Carmine Gallone (1955); Don Camillo Monseigneur
dir. by Carmine Gallone (1961); Don Camillo in Moskow dir. by
Luigi Comencini (1965). The sixth Don Camillo film in the Fernandel-Cervi
series was never completed. - Gino Cervi (1901-1974). Italian
actor, who was best known in the post-war years for his role as
Peppone. Cervi's prolific career spanned five decades. - Last
Don Camillo films: Don Camillo e giovani d'oggi (1972) starring
Lioner Strander as Peppone, the Communist mayor, and Gastone Moschin
as Don Camillo; Don Camillo (1983), starring Terence Hill.
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