Author

Davide Calì

vivo in… it’s a secret

I was born in Switzerland but grew up in Italy. I’ve designed video games, comic strips for magazines, storyboards for advertising, and books, but mostly, I’m known as an author for children. In fact, I’ve written quite a few of them.

The story I would have liked to illustrate… I don’t know if there’s anything by someone else I would have wanted to do. Maybe The Great Wave by Hokusai, but I’m not sure I would have had the patience to draw the other 35 views of Mount Fuji.

My recommendation: Lately, I mostly read manga and American comics. I like how Gou Tanabe adapted Lovecraft’s stories, and I’m enjoying Outer Darkness by Layman/Chan. Recently, I discovered Shintaro Kago and I really like him (especially Dementia 19). I’m a huge Batman fan (if you want to read a great graphic novel, check out White Knight). When it comes to TV series and movies, I’m less up to date. I haven’t found anything interesting in a while. The last great series I followed, apart from BBT, was probably The Terror, but I periodically rewatch Freaks & Geeks (with a very young James Franco). Recently, I also really liked The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Boys. Cinema: since the end of the Avengers saga, I haven’t found anything equally captivating. I’m passionate about science fiction, comedy, and Italian neorealism. I’ve been a big fan of Woody Allen, but I also really like the Coen Brothers and the films of Kim Ki-duk.

In my (little) free time… I like to sing songs, letting music flow through me as much as possible. I enjoy raiding flea markets, vintage stores, and secondhand shops. I accumulate books, read them, and forget them (only to reread them later, even though I keep accumulating more).

Awards and recognition:

  • I’ve received around fifty awards, big and small, from all over the world. But I won’t list them.
  • I’ve been translated into about forty countries in over 25 languages. The most translated book, I think, is I didn’t do my homework because… illustrated by Benjamin Chaud.
  • I’ve published more than 160 books, including picture books, novels, and comics.