Galician Literature in Exile: A Literary Renaissance
Literature in Exile
During their exile, Galician intellectuals kept the spirit of Portuguese culture alive, a culture that couldn’t flourish under Franco’s regime. They also ensured the continuity of the Galician language in written form. Initiatives included:
- Founding publishing houses to disseminate Galician literature.
- Publishing literary works in newspapers and creating radio programs.
- Forming musical groups, choirs, and cultural organizations.
- Organizing cultural events like concerts and exhibitions.
- Collaborating with international organizations like UNESCO.
Poetry in Exile
Poetry abandoned themes censored by the Franco regime and explored issues relevant to the exiled community, such as:
- Nostalgia for their homeland.
- Galician patriotism.
Major Poets
Luis Seoane
Seoane started as an artist, studying under painter Carlos Amside. In Argentina, he engaged in intense activism for the democratic cause and promoted Portuguese and Argentinian culture. He edited art books, published articles, and collaborated with magazines. His poems include Bretema, Sant-Iago, and Fardel de eisiliado.
Seoane’s work was initially undervalued and unknown, partly due to its publication in Argentina. His poetry is characterized by:
- Long, almost prosaic, semi-narrative verses.
- Social themes, particularly Galician emigration.
- Mythical view of Portuguese history.
- Realistic and sometimes journalistic style.
- Discursive and logical, yet metaphorical.
- Sober and passionate.
- Lack of personal poems.
Lorenzo Varela
Varela published Poemas in 1944, followed by Catro estampas and Lonxe. His work reflects the tragic experiences of the Spanish Civil War, Galician medieval figures, and the history of the working class.
Emilio Pita
Pita published Jacoubusland in 1942, Cancións de nenos in 1944, and O recordado. Later works include As cantigas (1959), A senda verdegal (1964), and Será (1974). His poetry explores themes like:
- Nostalgia for God.
- The condition of emigration.
- Denunciation of Franco’s oppression.
- Personal experiences.
Other notable poets include E. Blanco Amor, R. Dieste, and X. Núñez Búa.
Narrative in Exile
Narrative writing often focused on the Spanish Civil War, approached with a memorialistic and testimonial tone. Prominent authors include:
Ramón Valenzuela
Valenzuela’s novel Non agardei por ninguén is an action-adventure story centered on Gonzalo Azores, a guerrilla fighter who joins the Republican army. The work features diverse settings and reflects popular themes like social injustice and rural life.
His other work, Era tempo de apandar, complements the previous one by exploring themes of repression and guerrilla warfare.
Anton Alonso Ríos
Ríos’ works, such as Longing and Love, Art, and Mysticism, explore the experience of nostalgia with a romantic and lyrical tone. His work often merges with philosophical reflections, blurring the lines between novel and essay.
Sinor Afrânio or As risadas do moucho (1979) revolves around the protagonist’s memories of war and escape. Nidia features a protagonist passionate about religion, prompting reflections on religious and philosophical themes.
Silvio Santiago
Santiago’s Vilardevós is a realistic novel exploring the author’s connection to his village and childhood. It traces the protagonist’s evolution from childhood to adulthood and his return to the village after a stay in America, highlighting the contrast between past and present.
En Silencio (1976) reflects the violence, hardships, and persecution experienced in Galicia during the war, portraying the unsung heroes of the time.
Other exiled authors like R. Dieste and X. Núñez Búa published short stories in Galician.
Theater in Exile
Galician theater in exile presented two distinct approaches:
- Popular and traditional, focusing on rural customs and folklore.
- More intellectual and innovative, exploring new themes and dramatic techniques.
The first approach evoked the longing for the homeland and celebrated Galician identity. It often portrayed rural customs and dealt with themes of emigration and love, sometimes incorporating music. Representative authors include M. Varela Buxán with works like A xustiza dun mariñeiro.
The second approach aimed for universal appeal, engaging the intellect and exploring complex conflicts and concerns. Prominent playwrights include:
Castelao
Castelao’s plays exhibit a taste for structural symmetry and concentrated expression, combining expressionism and symbolism with humor and folklore. His work often features a protagonist-divo reminiscent of romantic drama. He favored plays with popular protagonists and envisioned theater as a stylized spectacle incorporating text, music, dance, and scenography.
Os vellos non deben de namorarse showcases Castelao’s painterly imagination. The play presents three elderly men from different social classes: the bourgeois, the nobleman, and the peasant. It critiques the degeneration of the nobility and the parasitism of the middle class. The play also features a group of women acting as a chorus and symbolic characters like Death. Themes explored include love, death, the power of money, hypocrisy, and social relationships.
E. Blanco Amor
Blanco Amor’s theatrical work can be divided into two subgenres: realistic pieces like Farsa para títeres and farcical works like Teatro do pobo. The latter are less realistic, employing imagination, fast rhythms, and satirical elements reminiscent of Valle-Inclán’s esperpento and the European theater of the absurd. The former are more unique, showcasing skillful dialogue and reconstructing the Galician rural character.
Proceso a Jacoubusland presents a harsh denunciation of Franco’s repression and the injustices of the judiciary.
Luís Seoane
Seoane’s theatrical work includes A soldadeira, which blends historical and social themes against the backdrop of war. The play combines influences from Bertolt Brecht’s aesthetic with references to Galician history under Franco’s regime.
Esquema para unha farsa is a short satirical play that critiques the false image of Galician life abroad presented by Francoist authorities.
O astrólogo irlandés explores the conflict between power and individual freedom, focusing on the drama of exile.