The Misadventures of Pinocchio

The Misadventures of Pinocchio
a libretto by Michael Tobias

Nonfiction; 194 pages; 5.5″ x 8.5″
Price: ebook $ 8.99; paperback $ 20
ISBN: 9780927379267

This Zorba Press edition of Michael Tobias’ libretto, The Misadventures of Pinocchio, has never been published before, in any format.

The Misadventures of Pinocchio is a libretto. This work breathes pleasure, invokes a sense of such radical fun — from Italian politics to animal rights — as to beg the issue of an opera, for which it was written.

Writes author Michael Tobias:

“What I will tell you is that Pinocchio’s ‘Adventures’ in this Libretto have been re-examined in light of Tuscany’s history, and the current state of the world. Such that, without giving away too much, I would add that I have sought to give Collodi’s Pinocchio his own dignity, his roots, to take him back to the original landscape where he was born, both as an ideal, but also as a reality in a world where trees, let alone pine nuts, are disappearing rapidly. …

“Pinocchio is one of those charter members, a veritable signatory to a Declaration of Biological Rights; not only of the plant community in his native land, but of humanity’s future place in a world at risk, where common sense, imagination, an unstinting love of life, not to mention a sense of humor are worth their weight – not in gold – but in old forest, healthy soils, rich biomass, a dazzling, unchallenged array of plant and animal life, clean air and plenty of fresh water to drink. These are, after all, the real concerns of any pine nut, let alone the Pinocchio kind. ”

Read the entire illuminating Prelude to Pinocchio,
by the author.

About the Author, Michael Tobias

Michael Tobias is a global ecologist, author, and filmmaker. He obtained his Ph.D. in the History of Consciousness at the University of California-Santa Cruz and has lectured widely. In 1996, Tobias received the “Courage of Conscience Award” for his commitment to animals. In 2004 he was awarded the Parabola Focus Award for his lifetime body of work. Tobias is married to artist, ecologist, and co-author and filmmaker, Jane Gray Morrison.

Tobias is the author of 45 books (including several edited anthologies of both fiction and non-fiction). Some of his better-known works include: World War III: Population and the Biosphere at the End of the Millennium, Preface by Jane Goodall; Voice of the Planet; A Vision of Nature: Traces of the Original World; Nature’s Keepers: On the Frontlines of the Fight to Save Wildlife in America; A Day in the Life of India; Deva; After Eden: History, Ecology, and Conscience; The Mountain Spirit (co-edited), Mountain People (ed.), Voices From the Underground: For the Love of Animals; Deep Ecology (ed.) Environmental Meditation; Life Force: The World of Jainism; Jan & Catharina; Rage & Reason; Donkey – The Mystique of Equus Asinus (co-authored with Jane Gray Morrison); A Naked Man; Chateau Beyond Time; Sanctuary -Global Oases of Innocence (co-authored with Jane Gray Morrison); Dubai -24 Hours; Kinship With Animals (co-edited); The Soul of Nature (co-edited); A Parliament of Science: Science For the 21st Century (co-edited); A Parliament of Minds: Philosophy for a New Millennium (co-edited) and A Parliament of Souls: In Search of Global Spirituality (co-edited).

Tobias has written, directed, and produced well over 125 films–including TV series, documentaries and dramas, most pertaining to environmental, cultural, social or scientific issues. Some of those works include the 15-part series A Parliament of Minds, the 28-part series A Parliament of Souls, the ten-hour dramatic miniseries Voice of the Planet, and such other works as Ahimsa: Non-Violence, Black Tide, Antarctica: The Last Continent, A Day in the Life of India, A Day in the Life of Ireland, World War III, The Sky’s On Fire, River of Love, America’s Great Parks, Element One, The Cost of Cool, Cloudwalker, Kazantzakis, and three recent feature films, Mad Cowboy, No Vacancy and Hotspots, a six-hour trilogy for public broadcasting.

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