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A necessary book for the soul which won the author the Nobel Prize for Literature. In it, joy and sorrow are very easily recognizable, very much like the two hairy ears of the much loved donkey. The pages of this extraordinary book transport us to the landscapes of Old Andalusia, through the tame soul and the sweet spirit of this Moorish breed of donkey.

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Publishers Weekly Review

Gr 4+-Although typically described as a premier example of classic Spanish children's literature, this celebrated chapter book did not have youngsters as its intended audience when it was first published in 1914. It is a collection of vignettes filled with lyricism, a string of magical moments in the everyday life of a young boy who owns a donkey, Platero, when growing up in a small town in Andalucía. The short chapters deal with themes from the mundane to the spiritual as the author reflects on the stillness of the prairie, the suddenness of death, or the magical beauty of the stars shining at the bottom of a well. By threading the simplest of words into remarkably well-crafted metaphors, Jimenéz allows readers to look into his childhood and marvel at the small things that make life wondrous. The vocabulary, syntax, and ideas in Platero are uncomplicated, yet certain expressions and terms will sound old fashioned to contemporary Spanish users. Likely to appeal to young native Spanish speakers and intermediate second-language learners, this volume includes black-and-white drawings at the beginning of most chapters. Recommended for all libraries and bookstores.-Liliana Barro Zecker, Associate Professor, School of Education, DePaul Univ., Chicago, IL (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

On receiving the Nobel Prize in 1956, Juan Ramon Jimenez was praised for "his lyrical poetry, which constitutes an inspiring example in the Spanish language of spirituality and artistic purity." Jimenez's works have indeed provided inspiration for many younger Spanish poets--- Federico Garcia Lorca, Pedro Salinas, and Jorge Guillen among them---as well as for Latin American poets. His poetic world is both aesthetic and spiritual. Through poetry Jimenez endeavored not only to express his interior reality but also to reach the highest levels of spiritual experience.

Jimenez's early work is marked by a short period of modernism followed by a rejection of it in favor of simpler forms, particularly that of traditional Spanish ballads. The turmoil and anxiety produced by his sea voyage to the United States to marry an American, Zenobia Camprubi, and their return as newlyweds began his second period. That phase was characterized by increasing subjectivity and purification of his poetry, a process furthered by Zenobia, who protected him from intrusions of the world. His use of women to symbolize the objects of his desires to know and experience reveals the influence of Gustavo Adolfo Becquer. In his final stage, he embarked on a mystical search for the absolute. His revelation was that "God desired" and "God desiring" reside within his own soul.

Platero and I (1914), a poignant and charming story in poetic prose about a silver-gray donkey named Platero, is popular with children. Jimenez did not intend it for children exclusively, however, but rather as a celebration of the essence of the child, "a spiritual island fallen from heaven."

(Bowker Author Biography)