Spanish Narrative After the Civil War (1936-1970s)

Spanish Narrative After the Civil War (1936-1970s)

General Overview (1936-1970s)

From the Civil War until the 1970s, realism dominated Spanish narrative. During the war, literature exhibited a combative nature, focused on conveying ideologies and attacking opposing viewpoints.

The Narrative of the 1940s

Traditional realism prevailed, portraying stark realities and brutal situations. Existential realism emerged, depicting individuals grappling with destiny.

Traditional Realism

Narrative techniques aligned with traditional realism. Notable authors include Juan Antonio Zunzunegui and Ignacio Agustí. Novels from this period offer a harsh depiction of Spanish reality, marked by violence and isolation.

The Family of Pascual Duarte by Camilo José Cela

This novel connects with the picaresque tradition, presenting the autobiography of a man condemned to death seeking forgiveness. Two letters provide context for his execution. Pascual Duarte selects key moments from his life to justify his actions. The novel highlights the rural environment and the pervasive violence.

The Hive by Camilo José Cela

This novel offers a testimonial account of post-war life and narrative renewal. It portrays a collective character marked by misery, with dialogue and a limited timeframe of three days. Dialogues reproduce colloquial Madrid speech, characterizing the characters. The six chapters are non-chronological, exploring themes of poverty and escapism.

Nothing by Carmen Laforet

This novel employs a realistic and simple style, narrating Andrea’s learning process as she navigates her family’s poverty and the war’s aftermath. Narrated by the protagonist over a year, it unfolds in a house filled with conflict and violence. Andrea eventually leaves for Madrid, seeking an unknown future.

The Narrative of Exile (1940s)

The war led many writers into exile, where they continued writing about Spain. Some integrated into new realities and explored symbolic approaches.

Ramón J. Sender

Sender’s pre-war works, like Seven Sundays, reflect social resignation. Post-war, his themes diversified. Requiem for a Spanish Peasant narrates the life and execution of a young Aragonese man fighting for betterment.

Max Aub

Known for his extensive work, including novels and short stories. His most regarded series focuses on the Civil War and its consequences, such as Country of Almendros. His writing features ethical depth and rich dialogue.

Francisco Ayala

Characterized by a reflective tone and a critical, satirical view of humanity. His short story collections and the novel Death of a Dog critique the dictatorship.

The Narrative of the 1950s

Critical realism prevailed, reflecting contemporary reality. Three trends emerged: traditional realism (e.g., Gonzalo Torrente Ballester), fantasy (e.g., Álvaro Cunqueiro), and metaphysical novels (which further developed in later decades).

Critical Realism

A boom in Spanish narrative aimed to reflect the reality and witness the country’s situation. Formal traits included objectivist techniques, dialogue-driven narratives, reduced storylines, collective protagonists (representing social classes), and fragmented structures. Simple style and colloquial language were employed. Themes included social difficulties, harsh working conditions, despotism, poverty, and selfishness. Neorealism offered diffuse criticism with social ethics concerns, while social novels provided ideologically driven critiques of injustice.

The Narrative of the 1960s

Cultural and linguistic renewal marked this period, with a rise in experimentalism incorporating fantasy and parody. Luis Martín Santos ushered in a new phase of narrative renewal.

Formal Aspects

Influenced by foreign fiction, changes occurred in structure and techniques. Innovations included breaking chronological time, using flashbacks, incorporating second-person perspective for self-reflexive analysis, employing interior monologue and stream of consciousness, and enriching expressive language with new terms and diverse language types.

Time of Silence by Luis Martín Santos

Set in 1940s Madrid, this melodramatic novel follows a doctor who fails to save a young woman who had an abortion. He is arrested, escapes, and is expelled from work. Seeking revenge, he kills his girlfriend and dedicates himself to rural life. The novel uses medical language and new techniques, describing Spanish reality and reflecting on poverty and inequality. Its formal features, like subjective omniscient narration and rhetorical devices, are notable.

Juan Goytisolo

Marks of Identity and subsequent works showcase a thematic and cultural shift towards experimental narrative. The protagonist grapples with identity, feeling alienated both at home and abroad, prompting reflection on Spanish history.

Miguel Delibes

Delibes’s extensive work evolved from traditional to critical realism, culminating in the technical innovation of Five Hours with Mario. The protagonist engages in an internal monologue while watching over her husband’s body. Parable of the Castaway incorporates new narrative trends.

Juan Marsé

Marsé’s early realistic novels address youth issues. Last Evenings with Teresa, part of the renewal trend, depicts a relationship between a middle-class man and a young, poor offender, critiquing liberalism. Later, the author returned to a more realistic style, focusing on social issues.