Narrative
Platero and I
Platero y yo
Juan Ramón Jiménez · 1914
Synopsis
A poet talks to his donkey, Platero, small, gentle and shaggy, who accompanies him through the streets of his Andalusian town and the surrounding countryside. In short chapters that follow no order, he confides to him his impressions, memories and reflections: the villagers and their ways of living, the children, the seasons, the small joys of a simple life. The donkey is his companion every day and his confidant; he believes him capable of understanding everything except the language of men.
Context
A first, shortened edition appeared in 1914 from Ediciones de la Lectura; the complete edition, of one hundred and thirty-eight chapters, came only in 1917. In a short prologue the author stated that he had never written, and never would write, anything for children. He intended to extend the book to one hundred and ninety chapters, and even sketched a sequel, which remained a project. Castelnuovo-Tedesco drew from it a suite for guitar and narrator, and Alfredo Castellón a film in 1968.
Who it is for
Very short chapters, in poetic prose, which can be read in any order, in a language rich in Andalusian words.
Prizes and reception
One of its author's most popular works; translated into French by Claude Couffon, with a foreword by Jean Giono.