My Uncle Jacinto was not only a bestselling paper book but also became a blockbuster film featuring Pablito Calvo and Antonio Sica. It is a book for children of all ages that depicts a special day in the lives of the down-and-out ex-bullfighter Jacinto and his streetwise nephew, Pepote. Honour is one antagonist, crime is another, booze a third, and separation the fourth (and sort of the common denominator). For a long time, things look rather bleak: Jacinto is down and out, broke, ridiculed in front of what we feel is half of Madrid, and has lost his main reason to live—his honour—in front of the boy who is the only important person in his life and who is about to be taken from him. Don’t be daft, of course it has a happy ending, sort of, maybe, if you choose to read it that way.
The story was first published in Spanish in 1956 (Mi Tio Jacinto) and has since appeared in nine languages. A major French newspaper wrote something like, "Nothing like this has been written since Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince." Starring Pablito Calvo and Antonio Cica, it became a blockbuster film. Andrés Laszlo Sr.’s close friend Ladislao Vajda directed, and the movie was reportedly discussed for nomination for “Best Foreign Film” at the 1956 Oscars, winning Silver Bears in Berlin. It is often ranked among the five best Spanish films at festivals. The old book cover was designed by Eduardo Vicente, while the new cover was created by Arturo Samaniego (the painting is titled “Torero”). Read book part.
This adaptation by Andres Laszlo Jr. (the writer’s son) is 20% longer than the original English text (which was published by Random House but is now out of print) and is based on a translation by Andres Laszlo Jr. and Cymbeline Nunez. The adaptation draws inspiration from The Challenge: a much more radical adaptation (also by Andres Laszlo Jr.) where bullfighting becomes boxing, Madrid becomes Cape Town, La Quinta becomes Mandela Park, the 1940s becomes the 2010s, and 19,000 words becomes 75,000.