Puerto Rico (United States) / All works
Chronicle
El gíbaro
Not translated into English
Manuel A. Alonso · 1849
Synopsis
In scenes of prose and verse, the book depicts the customs of the island's peasants, the jíbaros: a country wedding, the dances of Puerto Rico and the garabato dance, the gallera where cocks are made to fight, the feast of Saint Peter, their dress and their music. The author recreates the speech of the countryside, its vocabulary, its pronunciation and its syntax, and makes the jíbaro the model of Puerto Rican identity, with the aim, says his prologue, of correcting manners while entertaining.
Context
The book came off the presses of Juan Oliveres in Barcelona in 1849, where the author had just completed his studies; he dedicated it to his father and included pieces that had appeared in the Álbum puertorriqueño of 1844 and the Cancionero de Borinquen of 1846. A revised and enlarged edition, in two volumes, appeared in 1882 and 1883, with one more tale. The prologue speaks of his fear of criticism and his hope of encouraging the island's writers.
Who it is for
For reading one of the founding books of Puerto Rican letters, in which the peasant becomes the figure of the island.
Prizes and reception
The Enciclopedia de Puerto Rico regards the author as the first representative of the island's literature of customs and Creole literature.