Emilio Salgari (21 August 1962-25 April, 1911) was an Italian author of swashbuckling adventures, who led a fascinating, yet tragic life.
Fun Facts about Emilio Salgari:
1.Emilio Salgari was born in Verona, Italy to a family who made a modest living by being merchants. He wanted to be an explorer and studied working on steam ship in Venice; he was not a good student and never graduated.
2. His beginning as a writer started by publishing serials, as well as theatrical reviews under the pseudonym Emilius, in the daily newspaper La Nuova Arene. This allowed him to hone his narrative, as well as self-mythologize himself by claiming to travel far and wide.
In reality he never did travel much and stayed close to Italy. He did, however, spent hours in the library pouring over maps and encyclopedias learning details about jungles, the American west and the Arctic, among other exotic locates.
3. His love for exploration, however, was turned into writer prowess, even signing his name as Captain Selgati (which was wishful thinking on his part).
4. Emibio Salgari pioneered the Italian adventure novel. He wrote over 200 adventure novels and short stories in fast pace, episodic format, establishing a blueprint that writore still use today.
5. One of Emilio Salgari’s most enduring character was Sandokan, the “Tiger of Malaysia”, an exiled prince turned a pirate king. Sandokan sailed across the seas fighting the British Empire. These stories are known to inspire Che Guevara who read them voraciously as a child.
6. Another famous person who was inspired by Emilio Saligari in his childhood was Umberto Eco. He flat out admitted that Mr. Saligari’s putp narrative shaped his own, Gabriel García Márquez, before winning the Nobel Prize, read Mr. Saligari’s books at school when he was bored (mostly under his desk).
7. Emilio Salgari signed a contract with a publisher that forbade him to publish with anyone else. However, money he secretly wrote a lot of novels under pseudonyms for rival publishing houses.
8. To keep up with his commitments and debts, he wrote feverishly churning out three novels a year, writing late into the night fueled by coffee and cigarettes. His publishers exploited him and paid him a flat rate for every book. His work sold millions of copies, his publishers pocketing the money while he lived in crushing poverty
8. King Umberto I knighted Emilio Salgari in 1897 as Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy. This was a huge deal, a gigantic honor, and added a ton of prestige to his name and family. But it didn’t come with any money.
9. Being destitute and with his wife committed to an asylum, Emilio Salgari committed suicide by performing seppuku, like many of the heroes of his books. He left a note to his editors saying “o you, who have fattened yourselves on my sweat while keeping me and my family in continuous misery, I only ask that… you pay for my funeral” His wife died at the asylum, and two of his sons also committed suicide later in life, which gave birth to the Salgari’s Family “Curse” legacy.
10. in the 1970s, European television adapted Sandokan which became an international phenomenon. His books found a resurgence in popularity and secured his place as one of Europe’s most beloved adventure authors.
Zohar — Man of la Book
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Sources:
Emilio Salgari | Wikipedia
About the Author: Emilio Salgari | La Gazzetta Italiana
