Miguel Hernández: Poet of the Spanish Civil War
Miguel Hernández Gilabert
(October 30, 1910 – March 28, 1942)
Miguel Hernández Gilabert was a prominent Spanish poet and playwright of the 20th century. Although often associated with the Generation of ’36, he was closer to the Generation of ’27, even considered a “great follower” by Dámaso Alonso.
Childhood and Youth
Born in Orihuela, Spain, Hernández grew up in a family of cattle herders. He attended several schools, including Our Lady of Montserrat and the schools of the Love of God. In 1923, he began studying at the Jesuit college of Santo Domingo de Orihuela, but his father refused a scholarship, forcing him to leave school in 1925 to work as a herder. He continued his education independently, studying law and literature while tending the flock.
During this time, he began writing poetry and formed a close friendship with Canon Luis Almarcha, who provided him with books by authors like San Juan de la Cruz, Gabriel Miró, Paul Verlaine, and Virgil. He frequented the public library and formed a literary group with other young people in Orihuela. The Golden Age writers, particularly Luis de Góngora, became his primary literary influences.
Second Trip to Madrid
Hernández traveled to Madrid seeking work and found success, first as a partner in the Educational Missions and later as secretary and editor of the encyclopedia Bulls, under the direction of José María de Cossío, who became a strong supporter. He contributed to Revista de Occidente and had a relationship with the painter Maruja Mallo, which inspired some of his sonnets. He met and befriended Vicente Aleixandre and Pablo Neruda, leading to a brief period of Surrealist influence in his work. His poetry became increasingly social and political, expressing his commitment to the poor and marginalized. In December 1935, his close friend Ramón Sijé died, prompting Hernández to write his renowned elegy, which garnered praise from Juan Ramón Jiménez.
Civil War
At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Hernández joined the Republican side. He served in various units, fighting on the front lines in Teruel, Andalusia, and Extremadura. He briefly returned to Orihuela to marry Josefina Manresa in March 1937. He attended the II International Congress of Antifascist Writers and traveled to the Soviet Union on behalf of the Republic. He wrote the play Pastor of Death and numerous poems later collected in Man Looms. His first child, Manuel Ramón, died shortly after birth, inspiring poems like Child of Light and Shadow. His second son, Manuel Miguel, was born in January 1939, to whom he dedicated the famous Nanas of the Onion. He also wrote Wind of the People.
Imprisonment and Death
In April 1939, General Franco declared victory. A Francoist commission ordered the destruction of Hernández’s newly printed book, The Man Hunts, but two copies survived, allowing its republication in 1981. Hernández was arrested and imprisoned, first in Seville and later in Madrid. Despite efforts by friends like Pablo Neruda, he was sentenced to death in March 1940. Intervention by Cossío and others, including his childhood friend Luis Almarcha, commuted his sentence to thirty years. He was transferred to various prisons, including Palencia, Ocaña, and finally Alicante. He contracted bronchitis, typhus, and tuberculosis, dying in the prison infirmary on March 28, 1942, at the age of 31. He is buried in the cemetery of Our Lady of Remedy in Alicante, alongside his wife and son.