| "I, JUAN de PAREJA"
Author: Elizabeth Borton De Trevino
Interest Level: Middle Grades (4-8)
ATOS Reading Level: 6.5
AR Points: 7.0
Publisher Recommended Age: 10+
Publisher: Macmillan/Square Fish
Book Type: Trade Paperback
Pages: 187
Book Description:
When the great Velázquez was painting his masterpieces at the Spanish court in the seventeenth century, his colors were expertly mixed and his canvases carefully prepared by his slave, Juan de Pareja.
In a vibrant novel which depicts both the beauty and the cruelty of the time and place, Elizabeth Borton de Treviño tells the story of Juan, who was born a slave and died an accomplished and respected artist.
Upon the death of his indulgent mistress in Seville, Juan de Pareja was uprooted from the only home he had known and placed in the charge of a vicious gypsy muleteer to be sent north to his mistress’s nephew and heir, Diego Velázquez, who recognized at once the intelligence and gentle breeding which were to make Juan his indispensable assistant and companion—and his lifelong friend.
Through Juan’s eyes the reader sees Velázquez’s delightful family, his working habits and the character of the man, his relations with the shy yet devoted King Philip IV and with his fellow painters, Rubens and Murillo, the climate and customs of Spanish court life.
When Velázquez discovers that he and Juan share a love for the art which is his very life, the painter proves his friendship in the most incredible fashion, for in those days it was forbidden by law for slaves to learn or practice the arts.
Through the hardships of voyages to Italy, through the illnesses of Velázquez, Juan de Pareja loyally serves until the death of the painter in 1660.
Book Reviews:
School Library Journal (Starred Review): "The author creates a fresh and different approach to biographical fiction. The novel is also an eloquent testimonial to the bonds between races.”
New York Times Book Review: "This brilliant novel captures and holds the attention from its rhythmic opening sentence—‘I, Juan de Pareja, was born into slavery’—all the way through to the end...A splendid book, vivid, unforgettable.”
Book Awards:
- USA: Newbery 1966
- USA: ALA (American Library Assn), Notable Children's Books
- USA: Horn Book Magazine, Fanfare List
About the Author:
Mary Elizabeth Borton de Treviño (September 2, 1904 - December 2, 2001) is an American author.
Elizabeth was born in Bakersfield, California, the daughter of attorney Fred Ellsworth Borton and Carrie Louise Christensen. She attended Stanford University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1925 with a bachelor's degree in Latin American history. After finishing college, she moved to Massachusetts to study violin at the Boston Conservatory, and then worked as a reporter. On her marriage to Luis Treviño Arreola y Gómez Sanchez de la Barquera (b. August 5, 1902), she moved to his hometown of Monterrey, Mexico. They had two sons, Luis Fredrico Treviño-Borton and Enrique Ricardo Treviño-Borton.
Her book I, Juan de Pareja (1965) won the Newbery Medal in 1966. Among her other books are: Nacar the White Deer, The Greek of Toledo, Casilda of the Rising Moon, El Guero: A True Adventure Story, Beyond the Gates of Hercules, and The Fourth Gift. In later life, she wrote several memoirs of her life as an American who had married into a traditional Mexican family: the best-seller My Heart Lies South and its sequels, Where the Heart Is, and The Hearthstone of My Heart.
Elizabeth Borton de Treviño died December 2, 2001 in Texas at age 97. |
