20th Century Spanish Poetry: From Modernism to the Avant-Garde
20th Century Spanish Poetry
Modernism and the Generation of ’98
Traditionally, late 19th and early 20th-century Spanish authors have been divided into two groups: Modernists and the Generation of ’98. Today, they are seen as two sides of the same literary movement focused on renewing early 20th-century poetry.
The term “Modernism” predates the Generation of ’98. Since the late 19th century, all authors who sought to renew the previous literary scene were called Modernists. They opposed Realism and the exhausted, prosaic poetry of the late 19th century. Initially, the term Modernist was derogatory, used by opponents of literary renewal to describe the followers of Rubén Darío.
Modernism, often considered a form of Romanticism, sought a new language based on a new sensibility. It rejected the prosaic and empty rhetoric of earlier literature.
Parnassianism
Parnassianism, represented by Théophile Gautier, had as its motto “Art for Art’s Sake.” This meant the pursuit of perfection in art. Favorite poetic themes of this movement included mythology.
Symbolism
Symbolism sought to go beyond reality and the senses, aiming to find deeper or hidden meanings in what we see. It explored themes related to mood and emotion. To achieve this complex goal, Symbolists resorted to the use of symbols.
The fundamental characteristics of this poetic renewal movement are:
- Cult of sensory beauty: light, color, and sensory effects.
- Taste for neat and careful stanzas.
- Expression of the subjective: the world of inner feelings and the dream world of fantasy.
- Exploration of intimacy: the poet’s vital and joyous moments, as well as their sadness and melancholy.
- Aristocratic and exquisite tone.
- Searching for “Art for Art’s Sake,” with beauty as a fundamental principle.
Rubén Darío (1876-1916)
The main representative of Modernism is the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío. Two of his notable books include Profane Prose (1896), his most vital and cheerful work, and Songs of Life and Hope (1905).
Darío’s influence on 20th-century Spanish composers was crucial, and even the Generation of ’27 considered him a role model.
Antonio Machado (1875-1939)
Antonio Machado was born in Seville, but his family moved to Madrid in 1883. In the late 19th century, he lived in Paris, where he encountered Symbolism and Modernism firsthand.
Machado was educated in modernist aesthetics but also valued simple and touching language. Thus, he fits into both Modernism and the Generation of ’98, representing the union of these movements.
The main themes of his poetry are: memories and recollections of his own life, concern for Spain, the passage of time, death, and the search for God.
His major work, Campos de Castilla (1912), deals with themes that have led to his inclusion among the Generation of ’98 authors.
Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958)
Juan Ramón Jiménez, born in Moguer (Huelva), described himself as Universal Andaluz. He began painting and writing poetry at a young age.
It is difficult to classify Jiménez within a particular literary movement. By age, he belongs to the Generation of ’14, but his poetry evolves into a more baroque and modernist style.
The European Avant-Garde and Spanish Poetry
The first third of the 20th century in Europe saw numerous cultural and artistic movements based on provocation and a break with the past. These movements sought new paths for art. In Spain, in addition to the influence of these movements, we find Creationism and Ultraism.
Common features of these movements include:
- Opposition to logic and rationality.
- Exaltation of unfettered creative imagination.
- Continuous experimentation in search of originality.
- “Art for Art’s Sake,” detached from current events.
The avant-garde movements were generally minority and elitist, as well as ephemeral.
Futurism
Futurism influenced some Generation of ’27 authors, such as Rafael Alberti.
Dadaism
Dadaism, born in 1916, proposed the liberation of fantasy and creative power through incoherent speech. Its importance lies in paving the way for Surrealism. In Spain, Ramón Gómez de la Serna (1888-1963) served as a driving force for these movements.
Ultraism
Ultraism, born in Spain, was a mixture of Futurism and Dadaism. It used free verse, imagery, metaphor, and visual poems (calligrams), inspired by Guillaume Apollinaire.
Creationism
Creationism proposed to create a new reality within the poem, emphasizing the joy of invention. The main representative of Creationism in Spain was Gerardo Diego.
Surrealism
Surrealism, born in France, aimed to bring out whatever the poet, as a representative of humanity, stored in their subconscious. For this, Surrealists advocated automatic writing as a major literary technique. In Spain, Surrealism mixed with other avant-garde movements, but its personality and distinctiveness stood out.
The Generation of ’27
The Generation of ’27 was a group of Spanish poets who reached their peak during the 1920s. The main authors who make up this generation are: Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guillén, Gerardo Diego, Federico García Lorca, Vicente Aleixandre, Dámaso Alonso, Luis Cernuda, and Rafael Alberti.
Miguel Hernández (1910-1942)
Miguel Hernández belongs to the Generation of ’36. He continued reading and developing his own style, influenced by the Generation of ’27 and Pablo Neruda.
In the Spanish Civil War, he enlisted and fought alongside Republican troops. From a young age, Hernández was known as the shepherd-poet, but he gradually gained admiration and respect. During the Civil War, he wrote Songbook and Ballad of the Absences (1938-1941), rebelling against injustice.
Hernández is the first 20th-century Spanish poet to address social issues in his poetry. He acts as a bridge between the Generation of ’27 and the war poets. His work stands out for its passion, beauty, and above all, its sincerity.