Learn Italian: «Il redattore ha sempre ragione», obiettò l'autore. - "The editor is always right," the author objected.

In written Italian, when reporting direct speech, it is standard to invert the subject and the verb in the reporting clause. So instead of the standard Subject-Verb order (l'autore obiettò), we use Verb-Subject (obiettò l'autore). This inversion is the stylistic norm in novels, stories, and journalism.

Why use redattore for "editor"? Doesn't editore mean editor?

This is a classic false friend! In Italian, an editore is a publisher (the person or company that releases the book). The person who actually edits, revises, and corrects the text is a redattore.

Why is the verb obiettò used here instead of ha obiettato?

Obiettò is the passato remoto (historical past) form of obiettare (to object). In literature and storytelling, reporting verbs following direct speech almost always use the passato remoto, as they describe actions firmly completed in the narrative past.

Why does sempre go right after the verb in ha sempre ragione?

When using a simple tense, adverbs of frequency like sempre typically follow the verb directly, before the object noun (ragione). If this were a compound tense, sempre would sit between the auxiliary verb and the past participle, as in ha sempre avuto ragione.