(ANSA) - The good witch that traditionally brings gifts for Italian children on the night of January 5 will have to be quick if she is to satisfy Harry Potter fans this year.
The Italian version of the sixth book in the famed wizarding saga - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - goes on sale at midnight on January 5, almost six months after its release in English.
So when kids wake up on the morning of January 6 and scramble to see what the magical, white-haired 'Befana' has brought them, some will no doubt be hoping to find the book.
After all, the good witch of the Epiphany rides about on a speedy broomstick and is clearly an expert with spells. Getting the book to a child's bedroom just a few hours after its release should be a cinch. The new book about the teenage sorcerer - whose name is pronounced by enthusiasts here as "Arry Pottair" - has a first print run of 750,000 copies. Like the previous ones, it
is expected to sell about a million.
Italian youngsters have embraced the Potter saga despite its extreme English-ness and appear to have no problems identifying with the characters. Girls see themselves as Hermione (Harry's best friend, who always knows what's best for him) and boys naturally relate to the courageous yet sensitive guy in the title role.
The Italian publisher, Salani, has organised a lavish evening promotion in a major Rome bookstore to usher in the release of the latest volume. Young fans will be entertained with games and magic as they wait the last two hours before the book officially goes on sale at midnight, at which point cash tills will presumably start ringing merrily.
It's been a busy couple of months for Italian Potter fans - and their parents. The fourth Harry Potter film has also been working its magic at Italian cinemas since late November. It had the most profitable first three days of any film shown in Italy in 2005.
The Harry Potter books have sold 6 million copies in Italy. This is an unprecedented figure for children's fiction in a country where even successful kids' books usually sell in tens of thousands. It is unclear whether Salani decided on a January 6
release date with the homegrown magic of Italy's Befana in mind.
Whatever the reason, it will mean many kids have Friday's Epiphany national holiday plus the weekend to persuade their parents to go and buy it. The tradition of the benevolent witch is still going strong despite fierce competition in the present-giving stakes from Santa Claus, a figure who had only a minor role in festivities till a generation ago.
