Background
For over a century, his novels are mandatory reading for generations of youth eager for exotic adventures. In Italy Salgari's works were more widely read than those of Dante. Today he is still 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 to be the father of Italian adventure fiction and Italian pop culture, and the "grandfather" of the Spaghetti Western ( a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s). The greatest fame he has achieved in Italy, Spain and Portugal. In English-speaking countries he is far less famous. In spite of great fame and huge circulation Salgari experienced financial difficulties all his life. Moreover Salgari's private life was clouded by several tragedies. In 1889 his father committed suicide. Then his wife, Ida became ill and Salgari's struggling increased with her medical bills. These events led Salgari to depression, and he attempted suicide in 1910. After Ida was committed to a mental ward in 1911, Salgari was overwhelmed and took his own life soon afterwards, imitating the Japanese ritual of seppuku
