Gallines de Guinea / Guinea Hens
Books for children and young readers , 1989
Abadia de Montserrat
Pages: 23
"Guinea Hens" is one of the very few children's stories by Mercè Rodoreda. Through an apparent realism and minimal plot, she manages to make the eyes of a child revealing and his sensitivity a catalyst for a universal experience: the discovery of death and cruelty. In this story, Joaquim is struck by the cruelty of life, expressed in the merciless treatment a market vendor gives to some animals she kills and sells, guinea hens.
Mercè Rodoreda knows how to choose and craft, with great sensitivity, a simple and direct language that powerfully conveys the life, speech, and mentality of the common people. Each word has been carefully sought and selected from the popular Catalan of Barcelona, with a taste and correctness that are among the charms of Rodoreda's writing style. Her work was always done with great responsibility and a love for a job well done, which has earned her an important place in our literature. With illustrations by Carme Solé Vendrell.