La narrazione della Resistenza italiana attraverso la letteratura per bambinie ragazzi

Abstrakt

This article examines the narrative techniques and educational purposes employed to convey the memory of the Italian Resistance to children and young adults in post-war and modern literature. Drawing on a selection of canonical neorealist texts, such as Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno by Italo Calvino, L'Agnese va a morire by Renata Viganò and Una questione privata by Beppe Fenoglio, as well as more recent examples of popular and testimonial literature, including Una bella Resistenza by Daniele Aristarco and Noi ragazzi della libertà edited by Gad Lerner and Laura Gnocchi, the study reflects on how literature shapes the historical consciousness and democratic identity of younger generations. Particular attention is given to new narrative forms, such as illustrated books, graphic novels and poetic storytelling, which emphasise empathy, identification and moral imagination. Through the depiction of the “ordinary hero”, the use of child or adolescent protagonists, and the incorporation of female and marginalised perspectives, these works provide accessible yet ethically engaged insights into the legacy of antifascism. The article argues that, beyond its commemorative function, literature acts as a vehicle for civic education, enabling young readers to reflect on the meaning of resistance, justice and political responsibility in the present day.