Carlo Collodi
Carlo Collodi (the pen name of Carlo Lorenzini) was born in Florence, Italy in 1826. His parents were servants and the family was extremely poor, but Carlo was fortunate to have his education paid for by a wealthy aristocrat. He became a successful author and translator, publishing several novels and satirical works as well as popular translations of many traditional fairytales. He died in 1890, unaware of the lasting legacy of his most famous work, The Adventures of Pinocchio.