When Concepción Gilabert Giner de Hernández gave birth to her second son, Miguel, both she and her husband, Miguel Hernández Sánchez, a poor herdsman and dealer in sheep and goats, took for granted that their son would soon be hard at work helping with the family business, eventually taking it over with his older brother, Vicente. From a very early age the young Miguel was expected to perform tedious and menial tasks around the house and stable. A lengthy, enriched education was out of the question, both for economic and sociocultural reasons; so, instead of starting school at the usual age, he was forced for years to shepherd his father's flock and to sell the milk he had drawn with his own hands. This grueling, solitary experience had a profound impact on the sensitive youth. His work on the farm...