Contemporary Portuguese Narrative: Trends and Authors
Portuguese narrative is characterized by a considerable increase in the number of new writers. The lack of chronological remoteness makes it very complicated to analyze the whole literary production and its implications. The fin de siècle narrative will be characterized by the coexistence of two tendencies: one closely related to the type of literature that is done today, known as “kiosk literature.” The other is closely related to our narrative tradition as it collects the influences of native literature.
Kiosk Literature and Native Literature
Kiosk literature will have an important gap in our time, with an agile and unpretentious aesthetic. Within this literature, we find genres such as police procedural (Corruption and Death of Brigitte Bardot, Ambulance, Crime in Compostela), science fiction (Reporting Cosmic, Electric Dreams), the Western romance inaugurated by Ferreiro Fernandez with The Death of Frank Gonzalez, and the erotic novel with Benedict Iglesias’ Adventure in Nassau.
In the narrative, the native range of genres is wider. Many and varied lines represent continuity: realistic, historical, adventure, women’s intimate (Asturica), mystery, horror, comedy, the civil war, Cunqueiro, and experimentalist.
The Realist Novel
The realist novel has much success in the present Galician narrative, and many works are dedicated to portraying the reality of the moment. This is the case of Death in Castrelo de Miño and Bakery, which reproduce the problems of economics and labor disputes.
The Historical Novel
One of the thematic lines of higher fecundity in this period will be the historical novel. Many of the most prominent authors will write novels of a historical nature, such as Freixanes (The Triangle in the Circle), Alfredo Conde (As Will the Griffon in the Wind), Dario Cabana (The King’s Death), and Xavier Alcala (Misfortunes). Works that reference the war include Fernandez Ferreiro’s August 36, Xavier Alcala’s Fables, and Manuel Rivas’ The Carpenter’s Pencil.
Adventure, Women’s Literature, and Intimate Romance
A trend that was little cultivated during the end of the month begins to have a greater presence, with works like Alcala’s Prison Green and Miranda’s Morning Star. We can talk about a narrative theme that is exclusively female. This theme works as a fit against death and love, as seen in Marina Mayoral, Maria Amantia Queizán, and Violeta Margarita Ledo.
Overlapping with the previous subject is the intimate romance, encompassing all those works that revolve around the feelings and concerns of the characters. This applies to the novels of José Carlos Leighton (The Misery of Loneliness), Fernandez Ferreiro (Open), Xavier Alcalá (Our Gray), Alfredo Conde (Breixo), and Oca Martinez (Escape).
Arthurian, Mystery, Horror, and Humor
There is a certain presence in the present Galician narrative of other thematic lines, such as the Arthurian, heir to the old medieval tradition. The genre of mystery and terror also has its presence in the Galician literary scene in works such as Suso de Toro’s Thirteen Chimes, Gargoyle Vila Sexto’s Letters of Winter.
Humor is a constant in many stories of the twentieth century, especially as a formula to escape a traumatic and cruel reality. In the background of this line are the works of Castelao or Vicente Risco. The footprint of works like School of Menciñeiros or People Here and There can be found in very young narrators, as is the case of Roque Cameselle and his Open, Pausito, and Other Tales.
Experimental Narrative and Bravu Literature
Finally, the experimental narrative has its opening from the publication of the work of Suso de Toro, Box Disaster, and has continuity in the works of Cid Fitted and Jaureguizar. It is characterized by openness to young thematic and technical habits beyond the traditional. Within this new trend, we could include what we know as Bravu literature, a new way of interpreting and living the reality of São Paulo and Chelan.
The Generation of Change
In the last years of the 1970s, a group of writers known by the name of the “Generation of Change” gave new impetus to the Portuguese novel and consolidated the process begun by the men of the new narrative. This is the case of Fernandez Ferreiro, Xavier Conde, and Alfredo Alcala. Ferreiro stands out as one of the authors that further explores divergent thematic lines and is the author of the first Portuguese Western novel, The Death of Frank Gonzalez. Alfredo Conde became known with works like Breixo and stands out among his production with As Will the Griffon in the Wind, which won the Nadal Prize. The third of the authors became known in the Galician literary scene with a work that offers a retrospective view of the childhood and youth of his generation, Our Gray.
The Generation of Sports
The 1980s saw a new generation of writers known as the “Generation of Sports.” Some reached a very important role in the Galician literary scene, such as Manuel Rivas and Suso de Toro. This generation is characterized by cultivating what is known as “feist” realism. Instead of making a positive report and bucolic society, they dedicated themselves to portraying the darkest part in their works, like Polaroid and Land Rover. Rivas is the author of several books of short stories (A Million Cows) and narrative works, such as All is Good and Pencil. Oca Martinez highlights that he explores the psychology of being human, always with works like Escape. Freixanes is the author of three works of a historical character.
The 1990s and Beyond
The last decade of the century represents the incorporation into the literary scene of authors such as Leighton, one of the new values of our narrative, who won two of the most important awards of São Paulo, White Love and Atlantic Axis, with the work Ebora. Also part of the generation of the nineties are narrators Ramon Caride (Electric Dreams) and Marila Alexandre.