Post-Civil War Spanish Literature: Poetry and Novel
Post-Civil War Spanish Literature
The Poetry of the Forties
The Spanish Civil War had a profound impact on the cultural landscape, including literature. Many writers went into exile, primarily to Latin America, but maintained contact with those who remained in Spain. Their books, despite censorship, circulated widely.
In the realm of poetry, a “re-humanization” process began after the war, focusing on existential and social themes. Formal concerns took a backseat until much later.
The Generation of ’36
Poets born around 1910, known as the “Generation of ’36,” grappled with these themes. Some continued writing in exile, while those in Spain followed two main paths: the rooted and the uprooted poem.
The Rooted Poem
Rooted poets looked to Garcilaso de la Vega and other poets of the Spanish Golden Age for inspiration. They sought clarity, perfection, and order, expressing a coherent and serene worldview within classical forms. Religious sentiment and traditional subjects were prominent.
- Luis Rosales: In The House On, he used surreal imagery and a narrative style to explore personal experiences.
- Leopoldo Panero: His poetry is marked by religious themes, intimacy, and formal simplicity, often reflecting personal experiences.
- Luis Felipe Vivanco: Religious inspiration and mystical longing are evident in works like Time of Grief.
- José García Nieto: A prominent follower of Garcilaso, his early work focused on love and formal precision, but he later moved beyond Garcilaso’s style.
The Uprooted Poem
This style contrasted sharply with the rooted poem. Dámaso Alonso’s Sons of Wrath (1944) exemplified this trend, expressing a tragic tone, unease, and anguish in a broken world. Religiosity took on a tone of despair and doubt, echoing existentialist themes.
Other uprooted poets included those who contributed to the journal Espadaña, such as Victoriano Crémer and Eugenio de Nora. The post-war work of Miguel Hernández and the works of Gabriel Celaya, Blas de Otero, and José Hierro also fall into this category.
The Novel of the Fifties
The Civil War’s impact extended to the novel as well. The period between 1954 and 1961 is often considered the era of the social novel. Writers of this period are also referred to as the “Generation of ’55” or the “Generation of the Half Century.”
Objectivism and Critical Realism
Two main streams emerged within the social novel: objectivism and critical realism.
Objectivism employed techniques like detailed descriptions, simultaneous narration, and an emphasis on environment and objects. The narrator’s presence was minimized, dialogue was prevalent, and time and space were condensed. Characters represented social classes, and the narrative was linear.
Critical Realism shared some characteristics with objectivism, but with a more explicit focus on social critique.
Social novels of this time often depicted contemporary Spanish society. Travel books became a popular way to portray the country’s reality.
Camilo José Cela’s The Hive is considered a precursor to this movement, offering a stark vision of post-war Madrid. Miguel Delibes’ The Road and My Idolized Son Sisi depicted specific environments—a Castilian village and a bourgeois family—with varying degrees of social criticism.
- Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio: Author of El Jarama, a quintessential objectivist novel chronicling a Sunday outing of young people near the Jarama River. The tedium is disrupted by a drowning, giving the novel an existential dimension. Ferlosio later focused on essays, becoming a leading Spanish essayist.
- Ignacio Aldecoa: Known for his short stories, such as The Glow and Blood, portraying everyday life.
- Carmen Martín Gaite: Won the Nadal Prize for Among the Curtains, a portrayal of provincial life and the limited prospects of young people.
- José Manuel Caballero Bonald: A notable poet, he also wrote the social novel Two Days of September.
Other important writers of this period include Juan García Hortelano, Jesús Fernández Santos, Antonio Ferres, Armando López Salinas, Jesús López Pacheco, Alfonso Grosso, and Daniel Sueiro.
Some novels of the time, while socially conscious, also had a poetic tone, leading to the term “lyrical realism.” Notable examples include The Deaths of Children and Abel.