Upon entering the Royal Spanish Academy in 1975, Miguel Delibes delivered an address which reclaimed El camino (1950) for the emerging Green movement. With a blend of hilarity, satire, pathos and tragedy, Delibes artfully explores the process of crossing boundaries in pursuit of maturity and social advancement, whilst also implying that real education is the unfolding of the human heart among friends and sweethearts within a shared social and natural space. This new annotated version of the text comprises an introductory essay discussing green issues, attitudes towards the Spanish peasantry under Franco, and the function of the novel's subtly orchestrated comedy. It also contains explanatory notes on the text, discussion topics and an extensive Spanish-English glossary. This edition is intended primarily for English-speaking students of Spanish literature and culture at school and university.