Una flor amarilla
Una flor amarilla is a story by the Argentine writer Julio Cortázar. It belongs to the book Final del juego, published in its first edition by the publishing house Los presentes in 1956.
In 1962 it appeared as a unique work, without reference to the book in which it was originally published, in No. 6 of Revista de Occidente, the publication founded by José Ortega y Gasset.
An English language version of the volume was first published by Pantheon Books in 1963 and reprinted under the title Blow-Up and Other Stories by Vintage Press in 1967.
Plot
The story is set in a bistro on rue Cambronne in Paris, France. It is about a man, the protagonist, who meets another, a former municipal employee. The aforementioned assures that people are immortal and that he is the only mortal. During their conversation, the man narrates that he had observed a boy on the bus line 95. His name was Luc. At that moment, he realized that certain characteristics of Luc, such as his mannerisms, appearance, and voice, were very similar to his own at his age. Then he finds out that Luc has had illnesses and has gone through experiences that were also present in his life.
Background
Julio Cortázar on composing “A Yellow Flower”:
Analysis
It has been interpreted that this work is part of the look of Latin American writers towards Greco-Latin mythology, specifically in themes present in the plot such as immortality. However, this observation can equally be applied to the author's other works.