See also
- Folk literature
- Latin American literature
- Puerto Rican literature
- Folklore of Puerto Rico
- Luis Oliva - actor who has played "Juan Bobo" theatrically
| Juan Bobo | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | HarperCollins, [1] Dutton Children's Books, [2] Scholastic Books, [3] Reviewed by: Kirkus Reviews, [4] Library Journal, [5] Publishers Weekly, [6] Booklist [6] |
| First appearance | 56 Picaresque Tales (in the U.S., 1921) [7] Juan Bobo Heats up his Grandmother, Juan Bobo Delivers a Letter to the Devil, Juan Bobo Throws his Brother Down a Well, Juan Bobo Refuses to Marry the Princess. |
| Created by | School children of Puerto Rico [8] |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Picaresque |
| Place of origin | Puerto Rico |
| Abilities | Avatar of indigenous morality [9] Repository of cultural information [10] Resistance to colonial oppression [11] Syncretic of Santería and Capoeira [11] |
Juan Bobo is a folkloric character on the island of Puerto Rico. For nearly two centuries a collection of books, songs, riddles and folktales have developed around him. Hundreds of children's books have been written about Juan Bobo in English and Spanish. [12] [13] Juan Bobo stories are used as instructional models in public school districts and libraries throughout the United States [14] and on PBS Television. [15]
The Juan Bobo folktales are a cultural time capsule, a vehicle for historical preservation. Each story illustrates a key aspect of Puerto Rican life and traditions – as Juan goes to church, to work, the store, the town market, and deals with characters and events that typify the Puerto Rican spirit. For this reason, the Juan Bobo stories have been viewed as a “folkloric information system.” [16]
Often a trickster, sometimes a fool, Juan Bobo is the Puerto Rican amalgam of "Foolish John" who cannot get anything right, and Amelia Bedelia who follows instructions to a fault. [13] Sent off by his mother to find work, Juan Bobo causes one disaster after another and always manages to lose his payment. [17] In a typical Juan Bobo story his mother asks him to clean up a pig so she'll fetch a higher price in the town market. Instead, Juan Bobo dresses her for church in his mother's best Sunday clothes, complete with lipstick and high heels. [18]
Although the name "Bobo" implies stupidity or oaf-like behavior, the ostensible naiveté of Juan Bobo points to a hidden virtue or helpful way to approach life. As in Aesop's Fables, the stories often have obvious morals that suggest how people should live and how cultures should interact. [19]
As the trickster character in Puerto Rican folklore and oral tradition, Juan Bobo is part of a larger tradition that spans several world cultures. Many of the tales have nearly identical plot points in stories from India, China, Turkey, and traditions in Africa and North America. [13]
The Juan Bobo character has been called an avatar of indigenous morality, [13] a repository of cultural/historical information, [10] and a symbol of resistance to colonial oppression. [12] As such, in United States and Puerto Rican universities, the Juan Bobo stories have been preserved and studied for their sociological and political significance. [16] [20] Juan Bobo has also been compared to the syncretic religious system of Santería and the Brazilian martial art of capoeira, for its melding of spiritual strength and resistance into an ostensibly benign art form. [12]
The Juan Bobo tales originally migrated from Spain in an oral tradition influenced by the Spanish picaresque novels (Lazarillo de Tormes; Don Quijote) and Wise Fool tales. [21] [22] Published anonymously in 1554, El Lazarillo de Tormes is often viewed as the first modern novel, and “picaresque” became the first genre – a genre of realistic fiction in which the pícaro (the rogue) is the central character. [23] [24]
The pícaros are unlikely and delinquent heroes – living by their wits among corrupt priests and prostitutes, beggars and idle gentlemen, thieves, tricksters and murderers. [22] [23] [25]
The Juan Bobo stories incorporate all of these elements – as Juan the pícaro roams the Puerto Rican countryside, moving from job to job, and disaster to disaster. Though Juan and his pícaro tricks constitute the main story interest, the satirical comments on various trades and professions give a wealth of information on the social, political and religious fabric of Puerto Rico. [16]
As Paul Bunyan is identified with the US, Robin Hood with England, and El Zorro with Mexico – Juan Bobo, the beloved noodlehead, is the perennial folk hero of Puerto Rico. [26]
Juan Bobo children's books have been published in the U.S. and throughout the world. Juan Bobo stories have been published by numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, [27] Dutton Children's Books, [28] and Scholastic Books. [29] The stories are used as elementary school teaching books, [30] for bilingual language programs, [31] [32] and in Spanish-language studies throughout the United States [33] among others. In 1962, New York City librarian Pura Belpré authored a novel based on the Juan Bobo character, titled Juan Bobo and the Queen's Necklace: A Puerto Rican Folk Tale. [34] [35]
Book sellers throughout the United States carry a broad selection of Juan Bobo books. These can be found at Barnes & Noble, [36] Amazon Books, [37] Abe Books, [38] and Powell Books, [39] Newspapers around the U.S. regularly run Juan Bobo stories. [40] The Juan Bobo stories are known in many countries, from the United States to Central and South America, the Caribbean, Spain and the Philippines. Juan Bobo books are sold in Great Britain. [41] The National Library Board of Singapore has a listing of Juan Bobo books. [42] In the Philippines, Juan Bobo stories go by the name "Lazy Juan". [43] The National Library Board of Singapore has a listing of Juan Bobo books. [44]
The Juan Bobo character has made frequent appearances on U.S. television, radio, and the internet. In 2005, he appeared on Nickelodeon in the Dora the Explorer series. [45] The episode was titled A Crown for King Juan el Bobo, and Juan Bobo was voiced by Cheech Marin. [46] On U.S. public television, the Juan Bobo stories are used by PBS stations in Alabama, [47] Arkansas, [48] California, [49] Chicago, [50] Iowa, [51] and the nationwide PBS Learning Media system. [52] Currently, Juan Bobo stories and radio dramas are regularly broadcast over radio stations in Puerto Rico. [53] Juan Bobo CDs are also sold on the island [53] and in the United States, [54] [55] as well as Juan Bobo MP3 downloads. [56]
Given the centuries-long history of the Juan Bobo tales, and because Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory, Juan Bobo has been designated as an American folk character. [57] [58] The American Legends children's books included Juan Bobo in a series of four folkloric books. The other three were Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and Pecos Bill. [59]
In the theatrical arts, in New York City, Theatre Works USA developed and presented a Juan Bobo play, together with a children's study guide in 2008. [60] The Teatro Círculo Theater Company mounted an Off-Broadway production of The Mischievous Juan Bobo in 2006. [61] Also in 2006, the Open Eye Theater in Minneapolis performed The Adventures of Juan Bobo. [62] [63] This was followed in 2009, by the University Theater of Northeastern Illinois University presented a Juan Bobo play titled Señora Tortuga. [64]
Children's theater companies enact the Juan Bobo stories, often in the form of puppet plays. [65] [66]
In New York City, a group of grade school children made a Juan Bobo animated film, [67] and children's Juan Bobo play scripts are available. [68] A float with Juan Bobo characterizations was also part of the 156th [69] Carnaval de Ponce on 2 March 2014 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. [70]
The Chilean actor/singer Antonio Prieto sang a popular Juan Bobo ballad in recognition of the folkloric character. [71] [ unreliable source? ] On May 4, 2012, the School Librarians Association of Puerto Rico created an all-day special event in Villalba in homage and recognition of Juan Bobo and his legacy. [72]
The picaresque novel is a genre of prose fiction. It depicts the adventures of a roguish but "appealing hero", usually of low social class, who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. Picaresque novels typically adopt the form of "an episodic prose narrative" with a realistic style. There are often some elements of comedy and satire. Although the term "picaresque novel" was coined in 1810, the picaresque genre began with the Spanish novel Lazarillo de Tormes (1554), which was published anonymously during the Spanish Golden Age because of its anticlerical content. Literary works from Imperial Rome published during the 1st-2nd century AD, such as Satyricon by Petronius and The Golden Ass by Apuleius had a relevant influence on the picaresque genre and are considered predecessors. Other notable early Spanish contributors to the genre included Mateo Alemán's Guzmán de Alfarache (1599-1604) and Francisco de Quevedo's El Buscón (1626). Some other ancient influences of the picaresque genre include Roman playwrights such as Plautus and Terence. The Golden Ass by Apuleius nevertheless remains, according to different scholars such as F. W. Chandler, A. Marasso, T. Somerville and T. Bodenmüller, the primary antecedent influence for the picaresque genre. Subsequently, following the example of Spanish writers, the genre flourished throughout Europe for more than 200 years and it continues to have an influence on modern literature and fiction.
Abelardo Díaz Alfaro was a Spanish author from Puerto Rico who achieved great fame throughout Latin America during the 1940s. His book Campo Alegre is a text that has been studied at schools in Austria, Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand as well as all over the Americas.
Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican attorney and politician, and a leading figure in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the president and spokesperson of the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico from 1930 until his death. He led the nationalist revolts of October 1950 against the United States government in Puerto Rico. Albizu Campos spent a total of twenty-six years in prison at various times for his Puerto Rican independence activities.
The Ponce massacre was an event that took place on Palm Sunday, March 21, 1937, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, when a peaceful civilian march turned into a police shooting in which 17 civilians and two policemen were killed, and more than 200 civilians wounded. None of the civilians were armed and most of the dead were reportedly shot in their backs. The march had been organized by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party to commemorate the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico by the governing Spanish National Assembly in 1873, and to protest the U.S. government's imprisonment of the Party's leader, Pedro Albizu Campos, on sedition charges.
Luis Lloréns Torres, was a Puerto Rican poet, playwright, and politician. He was an advocate for the independence of Puerto Rico.
Rosario Ferré Ramírez de Arellano was a Puerto Rican writer, poet, and essayist. Her father, Luis A. Ferré, was the third elected Governor of Puerto Rico and the founding father of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico. When her mother, Lorenza Ramírez de Arellano, died in 1970 during her father's term as governor, Rosario fulfilled the duties of First Lady until 1972.
René Marqués was a Puerto Rican short story writer and playwright.
Puerto Rican literature is the body of literature produced by writers of Puerto Rican descent. It evolved from the art of oral storytelling. Written works by the indigenous inhabitants of Puerto Rico were originally prohibited and repressed by the Spanish colonial government.
Antonio ("Toño") Martorell Cardona is a Puerto Rican painter, graphic artist and writer. He regularly exhibits in Puerto Rico and the United States and participates in arts events around the world. He spends his time between his workshops in Ponce, Hato Rey, and New York City, his presentations worldwide and his academic work in Cayey, Puerto Rico.
Georgina Lázaro-Leon is a Puerto Rican poet who writes children's books. Her poems have been recorded by many artists, among them Tony Croatto.
Elizam Escobar was a Puerto Rican art theorist, poet, visual artist and writer. He served a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted while a member of the FALN.
Juan Antonio Espinoza Prieto was a Chilean singer and actor.
Pura Teresa Belpré y Nogueras was an Afro-Puerto Rican educator who served as the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City. She was also a writer, collector of folktales, and puppeteer.
John Alden Mason was an American archaeological anthropologist and linguist.
Washington Lloréns Lloréns was a Puerto Rican writer, linguist, lexicographer, journalist and literary critic. Trained as a pharmacist and chemist, he applied his knowledge of science to vocabulary and linguistics, for which he had a passion. As a lexicographer, one of his notable achievements was the inclusion of over 50 Puerto Rican words in the nineteenth edition of the Dictionary of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language in 1970.
Pedro Juan Labarthe López de Victoria was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, essayist, and novelist.
César Andreu Iglesias was a Puerto Rican political activist, labor organizer, journalist, novelist, and short story writer.
Juan Bobo is a comic book series of folk stories from Puerto Rico, centered on the Juan Bobo children's character. For centuries, these folk stories have been passed from generation to generation amongst Puerto Rican schoolchildren, and the Juan Bobo comic books have been published in Puerto Rico, the United States and Spain, among other countries. For nearly two centuries a vast collection of books, songs, riddles and folktales have developed around the Juan Bobo character. Hundreds of children's books have been written about Juan Bobo in English and Spanish. There are at least 70 Juan Bobo stories. In 2002, the book Juan Bobo Goes to Work won the ALA Notable Books for Children Award and the Belpré Medal for its illustrations.
Carmen T. Bernier-Grand is a Hispanic educator and author of notable and award winning books for children and young adults. Most of her books are written in verse and reflect her Puerto Rican heritage. She has also written picture book biographies about prominent Latin Americans.
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