Once upon a time there was a little man of nothing. He had a nose made of nothing, a mouth made of nothing, he was dressed of nothing and wore shoes made of nothing…

In the story L’omino di niente (The Little Man of Nothing) from the masterpiece Favole al telefono (1962), Gianni Rodari takes reality, throws it into the air, makes it bounce and returns it transformed, in a new universe where the laws of physics no longer apply. Edizioni EL is publishing it this year with illustrations by Olimpia Zagnoli, a perfect interpreter of the rules of Rodari’s game and surreal demiurge of a world where nothing takes shape and colour, assuming psychedelic geometries and that unmistakable -and irresistible- bright palette that is her trademark.

Next year, 2020, will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of what is rightly considered the greatest Italian children’s writer of the 20th century, who was born in Omegna on 23 October 1920 and died in Rome on 14 April 1980. Indeed, Gianni Rodari is one of those classics that have never finished saying what they have to say: from the 1960s to today, his stories and nursery rhymes continue to amuse children, move adults and inspire great artists.

It is no coincidence that this exhibition takes place in Trieste. Because the city is home to Italy’s largest publishing house specialising in children’s books, Edizioni EL, which, using the Einaudi Ragazzi and Emme Edizioni brands, now publishes all of Gianni Rodari’s work. And because an incredible coincidence made the collaboration with Barcolana natural and inevitable. L’omino di niente is in fact being published in bookshops right now, and Olimpia Zagnoli is also the artist chosen to create the poster for the 51st edition of the regatta. The outcome of this fortuitous and fortunate encounter is, thanks to Erpac’s intervention, the exhibition of the plates of the album she created: a tribute to Rodari and a way of giving Trieste a leading role in the celebrations of this important centenary, which ideally starts from here.