Heart (novel)

Heart (novel)

Heart (Italian: Cuore) is a children's novel by the Italian author Edmondo De Amicis who was a novelist, journalist, short story writer, and poet. The novel is known to be his best known work to this day, having been inspired by his own children Furio and Ugo who had been schoolboys at the time. It is set during the Italian unification, and includes several patriotic themes. It was issued by Treves on October 18, 1886, the first day of school in Italy, and rose to immediate success.

Through its investigation of social issues such as poverty, Heart shows the influence of left-wing ideologies on De Amicis' work (he was later to join the Italian Socialist Party). Because of this, the book remained influential (and the staple of many textbooks) in countries of the Eastern Bloc.

The novel was translated into Chinese in the early 20th century (with the title "愛的教育" – literally "The Education of Love") and became quite well known in East Asia. As well as being translated into Spanish with the title, "Corazón" meaning "Heart." The book was very popular in Latin countries, such as Mexico, among young boys and girls in the 1960s and 1970s.

On the other hand, the book's strong evocation of Italian nationalism and Patriotism also made it very welcome in Fascist Italy.

The novel was also extremely popular and influential in 1950s Israel, though at present it is considered rather old-fashioned and no longer well-known to the current generation of young Israelis.

In 1962, Umberto Eco publishes Elogio di Franti (In Praise of Franti) viewing Franti, the "bad boy" of the novel, as a figure of resistance against militarist and nationalist ideology.

One of the two teenage characters in the film I Prefer the Sound of the Sea (2000) reads Cuore and has a job in a bookshop named Franti.

The book has been used as one of the inspirations for academic achievement in Mexico, having used the name of the author for one of the world school of the international baccalaureate called Instituto D´Amicis, located in the city of Puebla.