Emilio Salgari stamp from Italy

The Italian Post has issued a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of the famous Italian writer Emilio Salgari.

Emilio Salgari (August 21, 1862 - April 25, 1911) was an Italian writer of action adventure swashbucklers and a pioneer of science fiction in Italy.

For over a century his novels were mandatory reading for generations of youth eager for exotic adventures. In Italy, his extensive body of work was more widely read than Dante - and even today, he remains among the 40 most translated Italian authors. Many of his most popular novels have been adapted as comics, animated series and feature films. He is considered the father of Italian adventure fiction, the father of Italian pop culture and the grandfather of the Spaghetti Western.

The stamp depicts a portrait of Emilio Salgari, two seagulls flying in the foreground and an ancient sailing ship plowing the sea.