Rafael Alberti, Miguel Hernández, and Federico García Lorca: Spanish Literature
Rafael Alberti
Rafael Alberti was awarded the National Literature Prize in 1925. He spent much of his life in exile, returning to Spain in 1977. He served as a deputy for the Communist Party and was awarded the Cervantes Prize in 1983. Alberti reflects on his life in his memoir, Lost Grove. His diverse lyrical style encompasses popular and classical veins, avant-garde and surrealist poetry, and politically committed verse. Among his many works are:
- Marinero en Tierra
- Cal y Canto
- Sobre los Ángeles
Marinero en Tierra features bright lines with an underlying sadness and remembrance of the sea, always evoking Cádiz. Cal y Canto, however, presents a piece influenced by Góngora, with stanzas full of classical imagery.
His dramatic production includes “epic political texts” such as Night of War in the Prado Museum (1956). Another notable work is The Monstrosity, which premiered in Buenos Aires in 1944. It is a work loaded with symbolic and mythical references, exploring authoritarianism.
Miguel Hernández
Miguel Hernández was born in Orihuela. His poetic vocation led him to self-education through reading the classics. His travels to Madrid brought him into contact with Neruda and Aleixandre. He was a member of the Communist Party and traveled to the Soviet Union. His poetry encouraged Republican soldiers at the front. After the war, he was arrested and imprisoned, where he died. Dámaso Alonso once named him a “brilliant epigone” of the Generation of ’27. His non-academic literary training earned him admiration from major poets like Pablo Neruda.
He wrote some of the most beautiful poems in twentieth-century Spanish poetry, including:
- El Rayo que no Cesa
- Viento del Pueblo
- Cancionero y Romancero de Ausencias
El Rayo que no Cesa captures his love and desire with a language full of wondrous images. Viento del Pueblo was written out of social and ideological commitment. Cancionero y Romancero de Ausencias shows a man pained by the consequences of war and family separation.
Federico García Lorca: Poetry
Lorca is the creator of a unique poetry that is both popular and cult, personal and unique.
Poems Dealing with Tragic Andalusia
- Poema del Cante Jondo shows the root, tears, and cries of the Andalusian earth.
- Romancero Gitano recreates the world of gypsies, blending folk and cult elements in a complex poetry rich in original symbols and metaphors.
Surrealist Poetry
Poet in New York is inspired by the feelings produced by the author’s life in the city: the burden of a city, a protest against a dehumanized and materialistic civilization, and the denunciation of marginalization and social injustice. He uses free verse and visionary imagery, employing a richly expressive language that follows surrealist paths.
Other Works
Llanto por la Muerte de Ignacio Sánchez Mejías is an elegy in four parts, where the author expresses grief at the death of a bullfighter friend.
Dramatic Work
Like his poetry, Lorca’s plays are imbued with a deep sense of tragedy and lyricism.
Major plays by García Lorca include:
- La Zapatera Prodigiosa
- Mariana Pineda (a historical drama where Lorca achieved his first success, combining love and politics to portray this heroine, a symbol of freedom, executed in Granada during Ferdinand VII’s reign for embroidering a flag for liberals).
- Rural tragedies: Bodas de Sangre, Yerma, and La Casa de Bernarda Alba.