Realism, Renewal, and Magical Realism in 20th-Century Spanish and Latin American Literature
1. Realism in the Mid-20th Century
After World War II, social realism emerged with distinct approaches:
- Objectivism: This style, seen in American behavioral narratives and the French nouveau roman, emphasizes objectivism, simultaneous narration, the importance of setting and objects, dialogue over narration, and linear narrative condensation.
- Critical Objectivist Realism: This Spanish movement critiques contemporary society. Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio’s El Jarama offers a critical view of Spain. Camilo José Cela’s The Hive portrays Madrid’s postwar years through numerous characters and settings like cafes and brothels.
- Other Authors: Miguel Delibes idealizes rural life in The Way and experiments with form in Rats. Caballero Bonald, Carmen Martín Gaite, and Juan Marsé also contributed to this movement.
2. Formal Renewal in the 1970s
Novelists sought renewal influenced by the Latin American Boom, foreign novelists, and the avant-garde. Characteristics of this neovanguardista novel include:
- Vague plot and minimal action
- Transformed characters and reduced space
- Time jumps and temporal chaos
- Complex language, often lacking punctuation and traditional novel structure
- Incorporation of other texts
Luis Martín-Santos pioneered this experimental style with Time in Silence. Juan Benet’s Return to the Region represents a radical break. Cela’s Office of Darkness 5, Delibes’ Five Hours with Mario, Goytisolo’s Marks of Identity, and works by Ballester and Marsé also exemplify this trend.
3. The Post-1975 Novel
A variety of writers moderated the avant-garde, returning to a more realistic style while retaining some innovations. Key characteristics include:
- Focus on time
- Frequent use of third-person narration
- Multiplicity of trends
Eduardo Mendoza revived intrigue in The Truth about the Savolta Case. Manuel Vázquez Montalbán wrote detective fiction like Southern Seas and Galíndez. Ana María Matute blended reality and fantasy in The Andres House. Other notable authors include Luis Mateo Díez, Raúl Guerra Garrido, Carmen Gómez Ojea, Rosa Montero, and Arturo Pérez-Reverte.
4. Late 20th and Early 21st Centuries
Two trends emerged:
- New Media: The internet fostered new genres like hypertext literature. Goytisolo’s Mzungo combined text with a CD, and e-books gained popularity.
- New Content: The “Generation of ’90,” initiated by José Ángel Mañas’ Historias del Kronen, connected with young audiences through themes of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Other authors in this group include Benjamín Prado and José Ángel Mañas.
Gabriel García Márquez and Magical Realism
García Márquez, a key figure in the Latin American Boom, influenced Spanish literature with his magical realism, blending reality and fantasy. His works include:
- Leaf Storm (introduces Macondo)
- One Hundred Years of Solitude (a cornerstone of Latin American literature)
- The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Eréndira and Her Heartless Grandmother
- Chronicle of a Death Foretold (blends journalism and crime fiction)
- The General in His Labyrinth (follows Simón Bolívar’s final days)
- Of Love and Other Demons
One Hundred Years of Solitude
This novel tells the story of the Buendía family in Macondo. Key themes include:
- Time: Both cyclical and linear, reflecting the passage from a feudal world to industrialization.
- Loneliness: A result of isolation and lack of love.
- Magical Realism: Reality blends with magic, temporal leaps, and anticipation.
García Márquez employs techniques like enumeration, repetition, and symbolic use of characters and spaces.