Postwar Spanish Novel: A Literary Renaissance
The Novel in the 1940s
After the Spanish Civil War, novelists sought to create a new literary tradition, drawing inspiration from realistic fiction authors like Galdós and Baroja. The 1940s marked a break with the recent past. Several trends emerged:
- Nationalist Novel: Embodied the Falange’s vision and values.
- Fantasy and Humorous Novel: Offered a disenchanted and skeptical perspective, moving beyond traditional realism. Example: The Living Forest.
- Traditional Realism: Focused on the bourgeoisie. Novels featured long, complex plots. Prominent authors include:
- Juan Antonio de Zunzunegui: Presented a pessimistic view of reality in works like Life as it is.
- Ignacio Agustí: Explored the decline of the bourgeois family in novels like The Ash Tree Was.
- Camilo José Cela: Introduced a stark realism, portraying the sordid and terrible aspects of life. His works include:
- The Family of Pascual Duarte (inaugurated “tremendismo”): A raw, autobiographical letter reflecting the tradition of 19th-century realism and picaresque.
- The Hive: Depicts the bleak life of post-war Madrid, focusing on themes of hunger, sex, humiliation, poverty, boredom, and hypocrisy. It features a collective protagonist and a limited timeframe of three days.
- New Adventures and Misadventures of Lazarillo de Tormes, Mrs. Caldwell Speaks to Her Son, and Mazurka for Two Dead.
- Carmen Laforet: Won the Nadal Prize in 1944 for Nada, a coming-of-age story about Andrea’s life with relatives in Barcelona.
The Novel in Exile
Exiled storytellers produced diverse works, ranging from traditional realism to modernism.
- Ramón J. Sender: Known for Requiem for a Spanish Peasant, which tells the story of a farmer executed by a Nationalist group. He also wrote humorous works like Nancy That.
- Max Aub: His major work is the series The Magic Square, which recounts autobiographical events during the Civil War.
- Rosa Chacel: Initially influenced by Ortega y Gasset, her works include District of Wonder and Acropolis.
- Francisco Ayala: Explored the theme of dictatorship in novels like Deaths of Dogs and The Bottom of the Pool.
- Manuel Andújar: Wrote Stories of a Story, focusing on individual experiences within the context of the Civil War.
The Novel in the 1950s
Influences:
- American behaviorism (e.g., John Dos Passos’s Manhattan Transfer and Ernest Hemingway’s Men Without Women).
- French Objectivism (e.g., the nouveau roman authors like Alain Robbe-Grillet and Marguerite Duras).
- Italian Neorealism (e.g., Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves).
Despite continuing censorship, authors of the 1950s demonstrated an ethical commitment to portraying the reality of the time. Novels often focused on collective experiences and history, minimizing plot and limiting time and space.
Narrative Trends in the 1950s: The Generation of Half a Century
- Social Trend: Authors used literature to educate and influence ideology. Examples include:
- Armando López Salinas: The Mine.
- José Manuel Caballero Bonald: Two Days in September.
- José López Pacheco: Central Eléctrica and Duel in Paradise.
- Juan Goytisolo: —.
- Neorealism Trend: Emphasized personal ethical engagement and individual experiences of loneliness, frustration, and disappointment. Authors include:
- Ignacio Aldecoa: With the Glow of the Blood.
- Carmen Martín Gaite: Between Curtains.
- Ana María Matute: Small Theaters.
- Jesús Fernández Santos: The Braves.
- Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio: The Jarama (Nadal Prize winner). Other works include When Things Don’t Change and Yarfoz’s Testimony.
Ignacio Aldecoa also published poetry and short stories in Godo Notebooks and Collected Stories.