Born in the town of Grammichele (province of Catania) in 1884, Agrippino Manteo was orphaned at the age of four or possibly earlier. Although he and his sister subsequently lived with their grandmother, Agrippino often ran away due to her harsh measures and the incessant farm chores. The puppeteer Giuseppe (Peppino) Crimi, son of the famed puppeteer Gaetano Crimi, took the boy under his wing, setting the stage for a life devoted to Sicilian

opera dei pupi

[puppet theatre] across three continents.

At the age of twenty-one Agrippino immigrated to Mendoza, Argentina, and was shortly thereafter followed by his wife, Caterina, and their first child, Ida (neƩ Agata, also known as Aida). He worked as a baker while constructing marionettes, and, when he had amassed a sufficient number, he opened

1302 words

Citation: Cavallo, Jo Ann. "Agrippino Manteo". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 March 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13090, accessed 02 December 2024.]

13090 Agrippino Manteo 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.