PLATERO Y YO / PLATERO AND I
Nos entendemos bien. Yo lo dejo ir a su antonjo, y él me lleva siempre adonde quiero. [We understand each other. I let him go wherever he wishes and always he takes me where it is I wish to go.]—Juan Ramón Jiménez
In this beautiful bilingual edition of Platero y yo, 19 of the original 138 chapters have been selected for young children and illustrated by the woodcut art of Antonio Frasconi.
I read excerpts of Platero y yo in high-school, and was so enraptured by the rich descriptions of nature that I checked out the complete translation by Eloïse Roach {a translation approved by Jiménez himself}, and soon after acquired my own copy. A friend in Cuba sent me an edition of the original Spanish, and I have slowly, slowly been reading that.
I hope this children’s edition by Clarion Books will be an introduction for many to this classic poem, and to the beautiful friendship of the poet and his donkey companion.
In these selections, they walk the village streets and the countryside, watching the children play, running races, watching fireworks, making echos in the canyon, and burning Christmas bonfires. The original Spanish faces a new English translation by Myra Livingstone and Joseph Domínguez meant to capture its ‘lyrical cadence and rhythm.’ Vivid descriptions of nature, joy in friendship, and peace in solitude, are the essential qualities of these poetic vignettes.
I love woodcut art, and the ruggedness and fresh coloring of Frasconi’s woodcuts are a robust accompaniment to Jiménez’s poetry.
‘Tiene acero. Acero y plata de luna, al mismo tiempo. [Yes, he’s got steel. Steel and the silvery sheen of the moonlight, and all at the same time.]’
• detail from an illustration by Antonio Frasconi for Platero y Yo •
October 7, 2014