Narrative
The Three-Cornered Hat
El sombrero de tres picos
Pedro Antonio de Alarcón · 1874
Opening lines
Comenzaba este largo siglo, que ya va de vencida.
This long century, which is now on the wane, was beginning.
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from gutenberg.org
Synopsis
On the outskirts of Guadix, in the reign of Charles IV. The miller Lucas, ugly, likeable and ingenious, and his wife Frasquita, beautiful and cheerful, make a happy couple, who receive the local notables at the mill. One of them, the corregidor, who wears the tricorne of his office, feels for the miller's wife more than admiration. With the help of his alguacil, Garduña, he has Lucas summoned to the neighbouring village on a pretext, one evening, in order to find Frasquita alone at the mill.
Context
Published in 1874, the tale takes up a popular story, that of the corregidor and the miller's wife, told many times before it. It inspired Hugo Wolf to write an opera, Der Corregidor, and Manuel de Falla a ballet first performed in London in 1919, choreographed by Léonide Massine, with sets and costumes by Picasso; it is thanks to this ballet that the story gained great popularity. Cinema has brought it to the screen several times, notably Mario Camerini in 1935.
Who it is for
A short narrative, built like a play, in the tone of a folk tale with a linear plot.
Prizes and reception
The best-known work of its author, often translated, into English notably by H. F. Turner and, recently, by Inés Bou and Idara Crespi.