Platero and I, written by Juan Ram=n JimTnez, 1956 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, has been translated into the main languages of Western Europe and even into Hebrew. As Don Quixote is a great Spanish classic of the Golden Age, Platero and I has become a classic of the twentieth century. It is known as the 'Andalusian elegy' and is centred on the town of Moguer and its surrounding countryside. It follows the journey of the author and his donkey Platero. Like Dostoyevsky in his book The Idiot the donkey's braying inspires and captures the author. The book is not only for children but for adults as well, evoking for us memories of our childhood years. As with Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, this is an allegory of the deepest human emotions and thoughts. Throughout the narrative Juan Ram=n speaks about Man and his world, dreaming of a better world and a brighter dawn. --Book Jacket.