Con Jimmy, en Paracas
| Author | Alfredo Bryce Echenique |
|---|---|
| Language | Spanish |
| Genre | fiction |
| Publication date | 1967 |
| Publication place | Peru |
Con Jimmy, en Paracas (English: With Jimmy, in Paracas) is a short story by Peruvian writer Alfredo Bryce Echenique, first published in 1967 and republished the following year as part of the short-story collection Huerto cerrado.[1][2]
The story centres on the journey of its protagonist, a teenager named Manolo, who travels with his father to the resort town of Paracas, where he encounters Jimmy, one of his schoolmates.[1] Through its first-person narration, the story explores one of the central themes of Bryce Echenique's work, the social classes especially the Lima bourgeoisie.[3][4] It also addresses themes such as the loss of innocence,[5] homosexuality, and sexual awakening.[1][6]
Bryce Echenique has stated that the story was written under the literary influence of Julio Cortázar.[7]
Synopsis
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Manolo, a 13-year-old teenager, travels with his father to the resort town of Paracas, where his father is scheduled to attend a business meeting at a prestigious hotel in the city, organized by the agricultural machinery company for which he works. Manolo closely observes his father's behavior in the hotel restaurant as they both attempt to navigate an environment that is unfamiliar to them.[5]
During lunch, they encounter Jimmy, one of Manolo's schoolmates and the son of one of his father's bosses. Jimmy embodies the world of wealth and privilege associated with the Peruvian bourgeoisie. His presence introduces a new tension which makes both Manolo and his father feel strange and out of place. Jimmy invites Manolo to walk around the place and takes him through different scenarios that reveal his social status, power, and arrogance. Although he is of the same age as Manolo, Jimmy already drinks, smokes, and drives a car. The tension between the two boys reaches its climax when they discuss sex while standing by the sea.[5]
Characters
The story centers on the protagonist, Manolo, a shy 13-year-old boy, who narrates the story in first-person.[4] His father, John, is a hardworking middle class man employed as a salesman for a company that sells agricultural equipment.[5]
Jimmy is Manolo's schoolmate. He is described as a handsome, blonde, blue-eyed teenager. Both the boys attended an exclusive school that catered to Lima's upper class. Jimmy's father, Don Jaime, is a businessman who runs several commercial ventures.[5]
Publication
The story was first published in 1967 in the fourth issue of the magazine Amaru.[8] The following year, it was included in the short-story collection Huerto cerrado,[9] which received an honourable mention in the Casa de las Américas literary prize in Cuba.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 Eslava-Calvo, Jorge (18 July 2019). "Huerto cerrado, de Alfredo Bryce Echenique: una travesía afectuosa y divagante" [Huerto cerrado, by Alfredo Bryce Echenique: an affectionate and meandering journey]. Lienzo (in Spanish) (40): 199–215. doi:10.26439/lienzo.2019.n040.4320. hdl:20.500.12724/14154. ISSN 2523-6318. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ Casal, César (15 March 2026). "Si hablase el hígado de Bryce Echenique" [If Bryce Echenique's Liver Could Speak]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ Ferreira, César (9 May 2007). "La palabra de Alfredo Bryce Echenique" [The Word of Alfredo Bryce Echenique]. Letras (Lima) (in Spanish). 78 (113): 75–88. doi:10.30920/letras.78.113.5. ISSN 2071-5072. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- 1 2 Fuente, José Luis de la (1998). Más allá de la modernidad: los cuentos de Alfredo Bryce Echenique [Beyond Modernity: The Short Stories of Alfredo Bryce Echenique] (in Spanish). Secretariado de Publicaciones e Intercambio Científico, Universidad de Valladolid. ISBN 978-8-47762-781-4. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bolanos Acevedo, Arcadio Antonio (2024). Masculinidades y Sexualidades Alternativas en la Narrativa Breve Peruana Contemporánea [Masculinities and Alternative Sexualities in Contemporary Peruvian Short Fiction]. Archived from the original on 14 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ "Presentación del portal de Alfredo Bryce Echenique" [Introduction to the Alfredo Bryce Echenique Portal]. Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ "De regreso a Huerto cerrado [artículo] César Ferreira" [Return to Huerto cerrado [article] César Ferreira]. BND: Archivo de referencias críticas (in Spanish). 1999. Archived from the original on 21 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- 1 2 Oquendo, Abelardo (2004). "El largo salto de Bryce" [Bryce's Long Leap]. Los mundos de Alfredo Bryce Echenique: Nuevos textos críticos (in Spanish). pp. 121–125. doi:10.18800/9972425797.013. hdl:20.500.14657/190704. ISBN 9972-42-579-7. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- ↑ Ferreira, César. "Los mundos de Alfredo Bryce Echenique" [The Worlds of Alfredo Bryce Echenique]. Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.