Una lettera per Caterina : storia editoriale della prima collana Einaudi per la gioventù (1942)

“Libri per l’infanzia e per la gioventù” is the first series published by the Einaudi publishing house expressly dedicated to young readers, and it consists of only four titles released in 1942. In fact, despite plans for its continuation, shortly after the arrival of the first volumes in bookstores, the editor, Mario Alicata, was arrested for anti-fascism, and the war took over, leading to the Einaudi itself being placed under government control. Despite its brevity, the series, both for the titles proposed – Le bellissime avventure di Caterì dalla trecciolina by Elsa Morante, Le Macchine e Abecedario by Bruno Munari, and Caccia grossa fra le erbe by Mario Sturani – and for the pedagogical spirit that animated it, represents an important milestone in children’s literature. The intent was to select young authors and include children among adults “on equal footing, without affectation or sentimentality,” in open criticism of the sentimentalism reminiscent of the nineteenth century that still characterized children’s literature during those years. The article traces the editorial events that affected the series and analyzes the texts proposed, highlighting their messages, which in some cases diverged and in others converged with the logic of the regime. Thanks to the preserved correspondence in the publisher’s archive, it was possible to reconstruct the relationship with the authors and the Ministry, shedding further light on the climate of censorship during those years. Einaudi and its collaborators were forced to make compromises to offer quality readings to children, readings that survived the war and are still read today.