Dino Buzzati (1906-1972) came from a distinguished family that had long been resident in the northern Italian region of the Veneto. His mother was a veterinarian; his father, a professor of international law. Buzzati studied law at the University of Milan and, at the age of twenty-two, went to work for Corriere della Sera, where he remained for the rest of his life. He served in World War II as a journalist connected to the Italian navy and on his return published the book for which he is most famous, The Tartar Steppe. A gifted artist as well as writer, Buzzati was the author of five novels and numerous short stories, as well as books for children, including The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily (published in The New York Review Children's Collection). »

The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily

Written and illustrated by Dino Buzzati

Dino Buzzati's classic tale chronicles the terrible winter that sent the starving bears down into the valley in search of food, as well as their struggles with an army of wild boars, a wily professor who may or may not be a magician, snarling Marmoset the Cat, and, worse still, treachery within their own ranks. Over all this, the bears triumph with bravery, ingenuity, humility, and high spirits.

Reviews

The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily is one of the noblest books I know. At once a philosophical history and a tragic inquiry, the tale also contains a magic wand, a haunted castle, and a giant sea serpent, which automatically make any story much more interesting. Little wonder that it is not only my favorite book, but Daniel Handler's as well.
— Lemony Snicket

The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily is one of the noblest books I know. At once a tragic inquiry and a philosophical history, the novel examines ambition, violence, and revenge in the voice of an adult explaining things to children—a voice that is simultaneously wise, wry, and wrong. Little wonder that it is not only my favorite book, but Lemony Snicket's as well.
— Daniel Handler

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