20th and 21st Century Spanish Poetry: Movements and Poets
20th and 21st Century Spanish Poetry
The Bourgeois Theater and Evasion
In post-war Spain, theater primarily served as escapism for the audience. However, some playwrights offered innovative and critical perspectives on the social and historical realities of the time. Common themes included marital infidelity and rebellious children. This bourgeois theater remained dominant until around 1949, with prominent figures like Joaquín Calvo Sotelo, Tena, and Lucas.
Poncela, Jardiel, and Henry
These playwrights employed clever and ironic humor, often based on the absurd. Their works, which weren’t always well-received by the public, combined humor in language and situations. A notable example is Eloisa is Beneath an Almond Tree.
Mihura and Miguel
Their theater was characterized by illogicality and absurdity. Mihura’s work aimed not only for understanding but also for reflection, as seen in Three Hats.
Main Orieta Poetry Since the Civil War
In the 1930s, avant-garde experiments paved the way for a rehumanization of literature. Poetry became committed to reflecting reality.
- 1940s: Neoclassical and escapist poetry flourished, alongside nationalist fervor and existential poetry expressing the anxieties of human existence.
- 1950s: Social poetry triumphed, serving as an ideological weapon to denounce injustice.
- 1960s: Poets sought new artistic paths.
- 1970s: The incorporation of mass culture aesthetics into literature was proposed.
- 1975-Present: Stylistically, both classical stanzas and free verse are observed, utilizing rich and expressive vocabulary.
Poetry in Exile
Poets in exile navigated diverse paths filled with anguish, often channeling their pain into a final act of reclamation.
Emilia Pardo Bazán
Her work is marked by melancholy and a quest for unity and harmony between humanity and the cosmos. In the Walled Garden Stands the Symbol of Light exemplifies this theme.
Manuel Altolaguirre
Considered the most communicative poet of his generation, Altolaguirre held a deep affection for classical poetry. He viewed poetry as a source of knowledge, and his work is often dominated by a profound sense of loneliness, as seen in End of a Love.
León Felipe
Spain is a recurring theme in his poetry, addressing issues such as the human condition, injustice, lawlessness, and rebellion against history.
1950s: Social Poetry
The publication of Gabriel Celaya’s Quietly Talking marked a shift in Spanish poetry. The collective became the central focus, and social poetry dominated the 1950s. Stylistically, it was characterized by a simple and colloquial tone, everyday language, and a tendency towards prose.
José Hierro
A leading figure in social poetry, Hierro’s work reflects the passage of time and its associated losses and joys. He presents love and poetry as means of understanding both external reality and inner being.
Gabriel Celaya
Considered a pillar of social poetry, Celaya wrote both existential poetry (e.g., Poetic Objects) and social poetry (e.g., Quietly Talking, Cards Face Up). He also experimented with avant-garde poetry in works like Semantic Fields and Transparent Mirrors.
Blas de Otero
His poetic journey evolved from existentialism to social commentary. He wrote existential poetry expressing the anguish of facing death (e.g., I Ask for Peace and the Word) and social poetry (e.g., This is Not a Book in Castilian). In his later work, he returned to reflective nature poetry in Feigned Stories and True (written in prose).
1960s: Poetry of Knowledge
This movement sought further refinement of poetic language and a shift away from the collective. Poets of this era championed the idea of the poem as an act of knowledge, contrasting with the notion of poetry as communication. The poet explores reality to uncover hidden truths.
The Group of Fifty
This group included poets like Carlos Barral, Claudio Rodríguez, and Félix Grande. Their work explored themes such as:
- Time: The passage of time, highlighting the transience of life and its destructive effects, often imbued with sadness. As a counterpoint, they expressed nostalgia for the lost paradise of childhood and adolescence.
- Love: From intimate relationships to erotic experiences, their poems reflected individual perspectives on love.
- Friendship: A significant theme, reflecting the strong bonds between members of the group.
- Poetic Creation: Reflections on the nature of poetry itself (metapoetry).
Their poems were generally meditative, employing conversational language and free verse. Humor and irony served to create distance from reality.
José Ángel Valente
His work is characterized by a constant inquiry into language, attempting to find truth through experience. A destructive phase aimed to expose falsehoods, often through fragmented, short poems. With Memory Materials marked a new stage, incorporating mystical language.
Ángel González
His career can be divided into three stages:
- First Stage: Existential disappointment and pessimism. Themes include the passage of time, love, heartbreak, the absurdity of life, childhood as a lost paradise, and historical events.
- Second Stage: Incorporation of irony and a shift towards humor.
- Third Stage: An elegiac tone emerges. Continued meditation on nature, obsession with time’s passage, and bearing witness to historical time.
Jaime Gil de Biedma
His poetry draws on personal experiences, particularly the impact of time’s passage. He incorporated elements of daily life and private experiences, but from an observational perspective, blending emotional and analytical aspects. His skepticism stems from a view of humanity defined by defeat. Intertextuality became a frequent tool. His work is collected in three volumes: Traveling Companions, Morals, and Posthumous Poems.
1970s: The Last Things
This group broke with realism and abandoned literary humanism. Two key characteristics define their work:
- Preference for mass culture and culturalism, drawing inspiration from European and Latin American literature.
- Exploration of themes like urban culture, exoticism, beauty, and reflections on literary creation.
Their style incorporated techniques like collage and cinematic flashes, resulting in hermetic texts.
Pere Gimferrer
His poetry is rich in cultural and mythical references.
From 1975 to Present: Themes and Styles
Contemporary poetry continues to explore everyday urban life, with themes like love, loneliness, the passage of time, and the fear of death. It rejects excessive stylistic and cultural ornamentation, favoring a more balanced rhetorical approach. Colloquial language and irony are employed to create distance from reality. Free verse remains prevalent, and the poetry of experience has emerged as a significant trend.
Recent Trends in Poetry
- Neosurrealism: Continues the legacy of poets like Leopoldo María Panero.
- Romanesque: Key themes include the night, the importance of song, and death.
- Silent, Minimalist, or Conceptual Poetry: Short verses that condense concepts.
- Epic Poetry: Reclaims nature and the memory of an idyllic past.
- Sensualist Poetry or the New Eroticism: Explores eroticism alongside themes like the body, the night, the sea, and homosexuality.
The Poetry of Experience
This influential trend grounds the text in the here and now, seeking a broader audience. It encompasses daily events, urban realities, and profound reflections on intimacy and the passage of time. Poets speak about life in a psychic, emotional, and anecdotal manner, preferring conversational language and dramatic monologue.
Luis García Montero
Considered a leading representative of this movement, his poems often focus on urban settings. Love and shared daily experiences are central themes.
Jon Juaristi
His verses are infused with irony, and he cultivates a more intimate poetry exploring domestic landscapes.
Miguel d’Ors
His work features religious and family themes, often incorporating imagery of the blue sky and faces. Examples include It’s Blue Sky and The Image of His Face.