Miguel de Unamuno and Pío Baroja: Life, Works, and Philosophy
Miguel de Unamuno: Faith, Reason, and the Intrahistory
Miguel de Unamuno lived with the internal conflict of wanting to believe but being unable to. For Unamuno, reason and faith were intertwined, and he believed that life was impossible without faith. In 1894, he joined the PSOE, but by 1897, he had distanced himself from the party. Unamuno thought one had to act as if one had faith, even without truly believing.
Early Works and the Concept of Intrahistory
In 1895, Unamuno wrote “Around Casticismo,” a crucial work for Spanish culture, published in five parts in a magazine. Later, in 1902, it appeared as a book, marking the beginning of modern and contemporary Spanish literature and the Generation of 98. Unamuno sought to understand Spain and the Spanish people, inventing the philosophical concept of intrahistory. He believed that history only reflected surface events, while intrahistory revealed the truth of individuals and their lives. Unamuno aimed to understand issues without delving into specific dates or ideological conflicts.
Novels and the ‘Nivola’
“Peace in War,” Unamuno’s first novel, is a historical novel about the siege of Bilbao during the Third Carlist War. In 1902, he published “Love and Pedagogy,” a novel criticizing positivism. The story follows Don Avitus, a sociologist who uses scientific methods to educate his son, Apollodorus, aiming to create a superman. However, Apollodorus becomes a social misfit and ultimately commits suicide. Unamuno’s thesis is that a purely positivist education leads to moral failings, while education with love fosters happiness.
Unamuno’s third novel, “Fog,” is so innovative that critics accused him of not writing a novel. He responded by calling it a nivola. The characteristics of the nivola include:
- No character portraits or landscapes
- Abundant dialogue, like a play
- Philosophical themes treated with humor
- Focus on the psychology of the characters
“Fog” tells the story of Augusto Pérez, a character without will, attributes, beliefs, or values, leading to loneliness. “Abel Sánchez” is a nivola that reinterprets the biblical story of Cain and Abel, giving reason to Cain. “La tía Tula” is a pure nivola, entirely in dialogue, about a woman who desires motherhood but wants to remain a virgin. Unamuno’s last novel, “San Manuel Bueno, Martyr,” explores the lack of faith that haunted him since 1897 and the need for the Spanish people to remain undisturbed by liberal ideologies, asleep in tradition. It tells the story of a priest who has lost his faith but continues to do good as if he had not.
Pío Baroja: Solitude, Vulgarity, and the Tragicomic
Pío Baroja, a follower of Arthur Schopenhauer’s philosophy, had the motto “Solitude or vulgarity.” Baroja was anti-romantic, believing that man was inherently an idiot who could only become rational through civilized education. Schopenhauer, in “The World as Will and Representation,” conceived human life as a comedy where one’s role ends at death. Baroja’s novels are parades of the sad and ridiculous, i.e., tragicomic.
Early Works and Philosophical Themes
In 1900, Baroja published “Sombre Lives,” a collection of stories. A tireless reader, he published “The Way of Perfection” in 1902, taking its title from a book by St. Teresa of Jesus. It tells the story of a painter from Madrid who, after leading a dissolute life, decides to purify himself by walking through Castile. In 1910, he published his most famous work, “The Tree of Science,” which depicts the life of Andrés Hurtado, from his entry into medical school in Madrid to his experiences as a rural doctor. The novel is semi-autobiographical. At the end, the protagonist marries a woman named Nono, and after having a child, commits suicide with pills, influenced by Schopenhauer’s philosophy. If a man is rational, having a child is a purely animal instinct of procreation.