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Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón

フアン・ラモン・ヒメネス・マンテコン

Juan Ramón Jiménez

Aliases: フワン・ラモーン・ヒメーネス
Pen Names: Juan Ramón Jiménez (variant spelling)（Alternate spelling / orthographic variant）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1881-12-23 （Moguer (near Huelva), Spain）
Died
1958-05-29 （San Juan, Puerto Rico） age 76
Nationality
Spain
Languages
Spanish
Residence History
Moguer (birthplace) → Seville (student period) → Madrid (literary activity) → United States (exile / residence) → Puerto Rico (final residence) → Cuba (exile / stay)

Career

Occupations
poet, translator, university professor
Active Years
1896-1958
Influenced By
Rubén Darío
Influenced
Spanish modern poets (influence on establishment of pure poetry)

Education

University of Seville
Faculty of Law / Law
Period: 1896-1898
Country: Spain
Left before graduation to devote himself to poetry.

Awards

Nobel Prize in Literature
1956
Work: For his lyrical poetry in Spanish (overall contribution)
Organization: Nobel Prize (Swedish Academy)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Platero y yo

1917 Prose poetry (with elements of children's literature / essays) 160 pages

A lyrical prose-poem based on the author's memories of his hometown, recounting days with his beloved donkey Platero, local landscapes, and encounters with villagers. A lyrical, quasi-fable work beloved by both children and adults.

homelandnaturememorychildhoodanimal (Platero)
Adaptations
  • [Music (guitar and narrator)] Platero y yo (for guitar and narrator)
Translations
  • H. Nagata (trans.), Platero y yo, Kodansha, 1960
  • Minoru Chonan (trans.), Platero y yo, Iwanami Bunko, 2001 (revised)

Piedra y cielo

1919 Poetry (modern lyric poetry) 120 pages

One of the collections exemplifying pure poetry. A body of poems pursuing purity of language and spirituality.

spiritualitypure poetrynature
Translations
  • Masamichi Arai (trans.), Piedra y cielo, Heibonsha, 1969

Bibliography

  • Almas de violeta, 1900
  • Ninfeas, 1900
  • Platero y yo (reduced edition), 1914
  • Platero y yo (complete edition), 1917
  • Piedra y cielo, 1919
  • Animal de fondo, 1949

Adaptations

  • Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: musical composition for guitar and narrator based on Platero y yo

Translations of Works

  • Translated into many languages. Japanese translations by H. Nagata, Takeyoshi Ito & Yuriko Ito, Minoru Chonan, etc.

Style & Themes

Literary Style
pure poetry (free verse abandoning traditional metrics)lyrical and meditative styleuse of prose-poem form
Recurring Motifs
homeland landscapesbeloved animal (Platero)nature depictionsolitude and memoryspirituality and beauty

Health

  • mental illness / nervous breakdown
    1900年前後（父の死後〜療養期間）
    Required extended sanatorium care in France; the experience influenced later works.
  • heart disease
    1946年以降
    Health limitations led to settling in Puerto Rico and increasing period of convalescence.

Legacy

Jiménez is regarded as a founder of 'pure poetry' in modern Spanish-language poetry and a pinnacle of lyricism. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1956 and his works have been widely translated and read globally.

Museums

  • House-Museum of Zenobia and Juan Ramón Jiménez (birthplace museum) Moguer, Spain (Casa Natal)

Archives

  • Manuscripts and related materials held by the National Library of Spain and various international libraries

In Popular Culture

  • Portrait used on the 2000 pesetas banknote issued from 1982

Quotes

  • “for his lyrical poetry, which in the original Spanish constitutes an example of high spirit and artistic purity.”
    Source: Nobel Prize citation (Nobel Foundation) (1956)

Trivia

  • Platero y yo, featuring his beloved donkey Platero, is his most internationally known work.
  • His portrait appeared on the 2000 pesetas banknote issued from 1982.
  • His wife, Zenobia Camprubí, was a translator and close collaborator who supported his work and life.