Post-Civil War Spanish Literature: Poetry and Prose
Poetry
The Poetry of War (1940s)
After the Spanish Civil War, a group of young poets known as the “Generation of 1936” or the “Escorial Group” emerged. Their poetry, published in magazines like Escorial (1940) and Garcilaso (1943), aligned with the imperialist and epic ideals of the victors. This style was characterized by heroic and religious themes, classical meters, and traditional stanzas. Key figures included Luis Rosales, Luis Felipe Vivanco, Leopoldo Panero, and Dionisio Ridruejo.
In 1944, Dámaso Alonso’s Son of Wrath and Vicente Aleixandre’s Shadow of Paradise marked a shift. Alonso’s work, with its anti-poetic vocabulary, expressed anguish and anger at the horrors of life. Aleixandre, along with Eugenio de Nora, launched the magazine Espadaña, which championed a more contemporary and socially engaged poetry.
Other groups emerged, including the Postist movement (Miguel Labordeta, Eduardo Chicharro, and Carlos Edmundo de Ory) with its surrealist influences, and the Córdoba Group (Pablo García Baena and Ricardo Molina), inspired by Modernism and the Generation of 1927.
Social Poetry (1950s)
The 1950s saw the rise of social poetry, which aimed to expose the realities of Spain and advocate for social change. Poets like Blas de Otero (I Ask for Peace and the Word), José Hierro (I Know a Lot About Myself), Gabriel Celaya (Cantos Ibéricos), and Eugenio de Nora used direct, colloquial language to address injustice and inequality.
The Generation of 1960
The “children of war,” the Generation of 1960, included Ángel González (Treaty of Urbanism), Carlos Barral, Jaime Gil de Biedma (Posthumous Poems), Claudio Rodríguez (Gift of Drunkenness), José Ángel Valente (Memory and Signs), Félix Grande, and Carlos Sahagún. Influenced by social poets and Antonio Machado, their work explored personal experiences and emotions with a more refined and artistic language, often incorporating humor and irony.
The Generation of 1970
Poets born after the war, such as Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, José María Álvarez, Félix de Azúa, Pere Gimferrer, Guillermo Carnero, Leopoldo María Panero, Ana María Moix, and Antonio Martínez Sarrión, formed the Generation of 1970. Their experimental poetry, influenced by foreign works and avant-garde movements, explored urban culture, mass media, and myths like Marilyn Monroe. Key figures include Pere Gimferrer with his neosurrealist works and Antonio Colinas with his minimalist poetry of silence.
The Novel
The Post-War Novel (1940s)
The immediate post-war period was marked by existentialism in the novel. Camilo José Cela’s The Family of Pascual Duarte (1942) offered a brutal vision of rural reality, while Carmen Laforet’s Nada (1945) depicted the bleakness of post-war Barcelona. Miguel Delibes’ Shadow of the Cypress is Long (1947) also explored themes of loneliness and frustration.
Social Realism (1950s)
From 1951 to 1962, social realism dominated the Spanish novel. Camilo José Cela’s The Hive (1951) and Luis Romero’s The Wheel (1953) portrayed the harsh realities of Madrid and Barcelona. Miguel Delibes continued to explore social themes in The Road (1950) and My Adored Son Sisi (1953). Other key figures included Jesús Fernández Santos, Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio, Ana María Matute, Juan Goytisolo, Carmen Martín Gaite, and Ignacio Aldecoa.
The Spanish Novel from 1962
By 1962, signs of change appeared. The influence of the Latin American Boom, with works like Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, led to experimental approaches. Juan Marsé’s Last Evenings with Teresa (1966) and Juan Benet’s Return to Región (1967) exemplify this shift.
The Spanish Novel from 1975
From 1975 onwards, several generations of novelists coexisted, including Camilo José Cela, Miguel Delibes, Juan Goytisolo, Juan Marsé, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Eduardo Mendoza, and Antonio Muñoz Molina. Themes ranged from historical narratives and social realism to intimate reflections and fantasy. Genres diversified, including detective fiction (Eduardo Mendoza, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán), historical novels (Julio Llamazares, Antonio Muñoz Molina, Arturo Pérez-Reverte), and metafiction (José María Merino, Álvaro Pombo).