{"title":"Books by Giovanni Guareschi","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781900064071","title":"The Little World of Don Camillo","description":"In Don Camillo's Little World, where eternal forces grapple with the absurd drama of everyday life, hilarious and unearthly things can happen. If you keep this in mind you will have no difficulty in getting to know the village priest and his adversary, Peppone, the communist mayor. Nor will you be surprised when a third person watches the goings-on from a big cross in the village church and not infrequently intervenes...   These enchanting, wise and strangely moving tales of life in Italy's Emilia-Romagna continue to enthral millions of readers of all ages around the world. In this newly translated volume, many are available in English for the very first time.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43206284705970,"sku":"9781900064071","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781900064071_a924873d-a67c-49f0-9659-254fbcc4349c.jpg?v=1786029517"},{"product_id":"9781900064651","title":"Don Camillo of la Bassa","description":"\u003cp\u003eVintage Don Camillo stories, all but one in English for the first time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLa Bassa is the home of Don Camillo and Peppone, the lowland plain on the banks of Italy’s Po River where their hilarious goings-on are set. Their creator was born there and returned to live in 1952. The following years were among the happiest in his life: it was a time when he was wholly in tune with the spirit of the place and when most of the present stories were written.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMany of these stories were published in Italy under the equivocal title, 'People Like Us'. There is a strong affinity between the fictional characters and the real people of la Bassa. And we like them not least because their stories espouse the instinctive humanity and fundamental compassion which it is their creator’s purpose to reveal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘So shrewd a glimpse into the minds of the people…’ London Evening News\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Absolutely delightful in their satirical swipes at human weakness.' - Paul Merton\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308234912117,"sku":"9781900064651","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781900064651_e2af0248-dde1-4061-bb39-afad07b6e4b6.jpg?v=1786029528"},{"product_id":"9781900064514","title":"Don Camillo Takes The Devil By The Tail","description":"As everyone knows, taking a serpent by the tail is not a good idea. But in the Little World of Don Camillo, where the Devil crops up in many a guise to break the quiet rhythm of everyday life (and even the village priest falls foul of him), hilarious and unearthly things can happen to draw the poison from his bite...   No. 7 in the Don Camillo Series, this bumper volume of classic Tales from the Lower Plain includes many never before translated into English. Beloved of 23 million readers worldwide, their appeal is universal, to readers aged from 10 to 100.'Inimitable, delicious, full of pure fun.' The Observer'Giovanni Guareschi's tales of Don Camillo, the Italian priest with a hefty left hook, are absolutely delightful in their satirical swipes at human weakness.' Paul Merton","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308235043189,"sku":"9781900064514","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781900064514_de72dd77-72f4-4f85-9558-931d9e5bfe58.jpg?v=1786029525"},{"product_id":"9781900064699","title":"Ciao Don Camillo VOLUME TWO","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe New Don Camillo, No. 12 in the Don Camillo Series\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGuareschi was a joker about serious things. The most dangerous politicians are those who cloak their megalomaniac psychology in a political ideology that masquerades as a universal panacea for the human race.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGuareschi is out to get them. He takes as his target not individuals but attitudes, mind-sets and political ideologies, except one time when criticism of the man he brought to power in 1948 lands him in prison for libel, six years on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese stories cover the years 1952 to 1960, in which Don Camillo and Peppone enter the world of cinema, but Guareschi has difficulty in enticing them to join him in Parma's San Francesco jail. Issues of class, heredity, politics and space exploration provide the necessary carrot, however, as the author returns to join them in his beloved la Bassa and shows, yet again, how perfectly are the events and crazy values of the wider world reflected in those of their village.\u003cbr\u003e'Prescient and perceptive' (Tobias Jones) ... 'Absolutely delightful in their satirical swipes at human weakness' (Paul Merton).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308237762933,"sku":"9781900064699","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781900064699_f425ed31-a482-4f21-94c8-b7cee92db510.jpg?v=1786029530"},{"product_id":"9781900064408","title":"Don Camillo and Company","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the first wholly new collection of Don Camillo stories to be translated into English for over forty years - novel enchantments for those who already know the hot-headed village priest and his adversary Peppone, the communist mayor, and a very special entré for those who don't.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet against the background of the rise and fall of fascism (Mussolini, Hitler) and post-war communism (Stalin, Khrushchev and Mao's China), the author looks down with hawk's-eye vision into the lives of the ordinary people of La Bassa, and delivers his message with great humour and insight - to cut through prejudice and political correctness and follow one's inner voice rather than any political dogma.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'So concerned with the trivialities of everyday life ... and so shrewd.' \u003ci\u003eLondon Evening News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eABOUT THE AUTHOR\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGiovannino Guareschi, known as Giovanni to his millions of English language readers, was born at Fontanelle in the Valley of the Po on the 1st of May, 1908. His father wanted him to become a naval engineer. He, for the very enjoyment of going the opposite way, determined to become a lawyer, but found his vocation when he sent some cartoons he had drawn to the satirical magazine, 'Bartoldo'. Later he founded the satirical magazine, 'Candido', and wrote 346 stories featuring Don Camillo, a character who has done for Italy what Cervantes Don Quixote did for Spain.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308620558709,"sku":"9781900064408","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781900064408_7a97db39-4fb7-4cb0-8bac-7727c5b113a8.jpg?v=1786029522"},{"product_id":"9781900064675","title":"Ciao Don Camillo","description":"\u003cp\u003eNo. 11 in the Don Camillo Series\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore shrewd and colourful observations of life in Italy's widest and most fertile plain, stories so telling that time and again they reverberate with insights relevant not only locally but also internationally, and even to our lives today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGuareschi mines his satire with an eye for a paradox. War creates unity (Peppone battles side-by-side with Don Camillo in the Italian Resistance). Then peace spells conflict, as the communist mayor and village priest become the local bigwigs in all-out war between East and West.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, Christ above the altar in the village church strives with wisdom, irony and gentle humour to keep the peace between the two titans, their minds clouded with ideology and the need to win.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'One of the most prescient and perceptive voices of the twentieth century.' Tobias Jones, \u003ci\u003eThe Dark Heart of Italy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308700283253,"sku":"9781900064675","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781900064675_b6d00b50-5861-46fb-8014-25826011e2d9.jpg?v=1786029529"},{"product_id":"9781900064477","title":"Don Camillo's Dilemma","description":"In the sixth book in the Don Camillo series all is peaceful in the village we know so well. The people are cheerful and friendly and exercise their famous sense of humour, but then the elections are upon us, a storm breaks, and the village priest discovers that the last straw can break even a Camillo's back…","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308781220213,"sku":"9781900064477","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781900064477_29e3bb3a-426e-4de0-a3ff-db85679759ac.jpg?v=1786029524"},{"product_id":"9781900064330","title":"Comrade Don Camillo","description":"\u003cp\u003eNumber 4 in the Don Camillo series, beloved by 23 million readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Peppone loses out to Don Camillo on a matter of conscience he must accept the battling priest's presence among a group of communist activists on a trip he is organising to Mother Russia. Travelling incognito, Don Camillo becomes the life and soul of the Party and picks off his totalitarian comrades one-by-one in a hilarious riot of shrewd manipulation. But then fate intervenes and the travellers discover a surprise common denominator more radical than any political ideology...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Those who read The Little World of Don Camillo will need no more than the news of this new volume to send them quickly to their bookshops so lovely, so humorous, and so wise.' \u003ci\u003eHarpers \u0026amp; Queen\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Written with such warmth and simplicity, so concerned with the trivialities of everyday life and giving us so shrewd a glimpse into the minds of the people . . .' \u003ci\u003eLondon Evening News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Inimitable, delicious, full of pure fun' --\u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Charming and enchanting . . . Witty and wise' --\u003ci\u003eEdinburgh Evening News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSOME SERIES READER REVIEWS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'These works deserve to be best sellers. I have been enjoying them for a long time and now I have the originals as written. It is interesting to compare the new translations with the Gollancz translations. Some of the stories are hard to even recognise! The revised translations make a lot more sense though and answer some questions I had. Excellent work and I shall be back for the next one.' \u003ci\u003eHesperus, 5 August 2020\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'I first encountered Don Camillo as a teenager in the 70's and to discover new stories has been a glorious return to my youth. Guareschi's trinity of central characters: Camillo, Peppone and The Christ convey such a lively humanity that I am reminded, now in jaded middle age, of the hopes I once held. The stories are a humorous manifesto: humanity before ideology or creed.'\u003ci\u003eBasil Clark, 2 March 2017\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eABOUT THE AUTHOR\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGiovannino Guareschi, known as Giovanni to his millions of English language readers, was born at Fontanelle in the Valley of the Po on the 1st of May, 1908. His father wanted him to become a naval engineer. He, for the very enjoyment of going the opposite way, determined to become a lawyer, but found his vocation when he sent some cartoons he had drawn to the satirical magazine, 'Bartoldo'. Later he founded the satirical magazine, 'Candido', and wrote 346 stories featuring Don Camillo, a character who has done for Italy what Cervantes Don Quixote did for Spain.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308838531445,"sku":"9781900064330","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781900064330_2c7e3be8-e179-47d4-9916-cf3115cf5b74.jpg?v=1786029521"},{"product_id":"9781900064569","title":"Don Camillo and Don Chichi","description":"A gang of Hells Angels rips through the village bringing mayhem and a generational shift to traditional enmities between Don Camillo and Peppone. The year is 1966, a time ripe for rebellion, for overturning conventions - a time, above all, to be young. Meanwhile, beset by the third young progressive leftwing priest with a mandate to steer him into the modern world, Don Camillo digs in and finds a surprise ally in Peppone as he fights to save the three-metre high figure of il Cristo through which he conducts his famous conversations with God.   ;'Guareschi's was one of the most prescient and perceptive voices of the twentieth century.' Tobias Jones, author of The Dark Heart of Italy.   ;'Guareschi's tales are absolutely delightful in their satirical swipes at human weakness.' Paul Merton","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308947353973,"sku":"9781900064569","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781900064569_eac26d44-d834-462e-861e-c2c92ba112c1.jpg?v=1786029526"},{"product_id":"9781900064590","title":"Merry Christmas Don Camillo","description":"In Merry Christmas Don Camillo the author's Christmas stories appear alongside his war-time experiences in the prison camps of Germany and Poland, out of which he formed the polemic that would underwrite his work. Included are many tales new to English-speaking readers and some of the best that Guareschi ever wrote.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308948566389,"sku":"9781900064590","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781900064590_3c72bb14-e47a-452e-9f95-99e36ca39cb7.jpg?v=1786029527"},{"product_id":"9781900064262","title":"Don Camillo and Peppone","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Don Camillo Series, beloved by 23 million readers worldwide.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore timeless, bittersweet stories of life in Italy's Lower Plain, most of which appear in English for the first time. They begin, as the last collection ended, with Don Camillo in exile in the mountains. But it isn't long before this lightning conductor for problems in the Little World draws Peppone and all human nature to his door.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe rains follow with biblical ferocity and when the river bursts its banks, threatening his people, the priest is recalled and the gentle wisdom of the third member of the triumvirate directs proceedings from high above the altar in the village church once more...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'The innumerable friends of The Little World of Don Camillo will give thanks that this Italian priest is back with us!' \u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56313104269685,"sku":"9781900064262","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781900064262_02407df9-8efb-4f08-8cb0-1da2a55a04c0.jpg?v=1786029520"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-giovanni-guareschi.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}