''Platero and I'', also translated as ''Platero and Me'' ( es, Platero y yo), is a

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

Spanish prose poem written by

Juan Ramón Jiménez Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón (; 23 December 1881 – 29 May 1958) was a Spanish poet, a prolific writer who received the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which in the Spanish language constitutes an example of high ...

. The book is one of the most popular works by Jiménez, and unfolds around a writer and his eponymous donkey,

Platero Platero is the eponymous donkey of the 1914 story ''Platero and I'' (English for ''Platero y yo''). The book is one of the most popular works by Spanish poet Juan Ramón Jiménez, the recipient of the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature. In 1960, the ...

("silvery"). Platero is described as a "small donkey, a soft, hairy donkey: so soft to the touch that he might be said to be made of cotton, with no bones. Only the jet mirrors of his eyes are hard like two black crystal scarabs." Platero remains a symbol of tenderness, purity and naiveté, and is used by the author as a means of reflection about the simple joys of life, memories, and various characters and their ways of life.

Plot

Platero is a silver-colored donkey ("plata" means silver in Spanish) who throughout the years is seemingly the only constant friend and companion of the author, who makes observations to and confides in him. The author believes that Platero understands everything, except for the language of humans, just as humans do not know the language of animals, but he gives his master joy and sincere warmth.

Adaptations

In 1960, the Italian composer

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (3 April 1895 – 16 March 1968) was an Italian composer, pianist and writer. He was known as one of the foremost guitar composers in the twentieth century with almost one hundred compositions for that instrument. In ...

composed a suite of music for guitar with narrator based on the stories in the book. In 1968, the Spanish film director Alfredo Castellón adapted the book into a movie by the same title. The guitarist and composer

Eduardo Sainz de la Maza Eduardo Sainz de la Maza (5 January 1903 – 5 December 1982) was a Spanish composer. Born in Burgos, he was brother of Regino Sainz de la Maza. Composing for the classical guitar, some of his notable works include the suite ''Platero y yo'' for ...

also wrote a suite of eight pieces for guitar based on Platero Y Yo, which bears the same title. A theatrical adaptation has been written by Josep-Antoni Garí,Garí, J.A. 2016. Platero en escena: Libreto dramatúrgico del relato lírico "Platero y Yo", al toque flamenco. ''Ex Tempore'', Volume XXVII: 87-93. published in the literary magazine ''

Ex Tempore ''Ex tempore'' (Latin for "out of the moment“) is a legal term that means 'at the time'. A judge who hands down a decision in a case soon or straight after hearing it is delivering a decision ''ex tempore''. Another way a judge may deliver a de ...

'' and presented at the literary evening of the Circle of Writers of the United Nations, in Geneva, on January 20, 2017, thus commemorating the centenary of the work.

References

External links

'EntreRíos' dedica su último número a Juan Ramón Jiménez

Platero y yo" at Proyecto Gutenberg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Platero and I 1914 novels 1914 poems Spanish novels Novels by Juan Ramón Jiménez Novels set in Andalusia Novels set in Spain