Spanish Narrative Trends: 1940s to 2000s
The 1940s: Evasion and Witness
The end of the Spanish Civil War was marked by a dual approach in the world of narrative:
- Trend-Evasion (Avoidance): This trend remained distant from the problems of society and man.
- Trend-Testimonial (Witness): This trend represented a conformist reaction. Authors in this current depicted sordid environments, violent literature, abnormal characters, angry behavior, and asphyxiating spaces without fuss. The atmosphere of degradation was a kind of implicit social criticism. This current was called tremendismo. Two works of this trend are The Family of Pascual Duarte by Camilo José Cela and Nada by Carmen Laforet.
The 1950s: Social Realism
This group comprised a number of writers who directed their messages toward social commitment. These authors expressed their discontent and unhappiness with the prevailing poverty and lack of freedom. At the same time, they expressed admiration for Italian neorealism, praising the unsung heroes and ordinary people who suffered the horrors of World War II. The ideas of Jean-Paul Sartre, who advocated that intellectuals should be the critical conscience of society, also exerted a significant influence. Authors from this period include Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio, Ignacio Aldecoa, and Juan Goytisolo.
The 1960s and 1970s: The Renovation
The development of the 1960s, along with the opening to the outside world, forced a look at a world that was beginning to abandon alienating and ideological structures. It became necessary to find new forms of expression. In this environment, a rigorous and experimental literature was aesthetically imposed, but it disappeared without resolving the inconsistency of the previous stage. Authors of the 1960s and 1970s include Luis Martín-Santos, Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, Eduardo Mendoza, and especially Miguel Delibes.
Miguel Delibes
Miguel Delibes (1920-2010) is one of the key figures of the twentieth-century Spanish novel. His extensive work is characterized by a sharp analysis of contemporary society from the viewpoint of Christian humanism and revolves around two narrative worlds:
- The Rural World: Sometimes seen as an Arcadian ideal where man finds his authenticity in harmony with nature, safe from the excesses of technocratic society, in works such as El Camino (The Road) or Las Ratas (The Rats).
- The Urban World: With a fine analysis of the baseness of the bourgeoisie (Cinco Horas con Mario – Five Hours with Mario) and the abuses of a dehumanized industrial society (Parábola del Náufrago – Parable of the Shipwrecked Man).
Both worlds are in conflict in works such as La Hoja Roja (The Red Leaf), and especially Los Santos Inocentes (The Holy Innocents).
In style and technique, Delibes is a nimble storyteller noted for his lexical richness and wise use of scarce resources. He does not disdain narrative and experimental avant-garde elements, but at no time do they interfere with the true substance of his works.
From the 1980s Onward
Two circumstances influenced literary creation in the 1980s: the complete abolition of censorship and freedom of expression. In recent years, independence and non-attachment to rules or constraints have dominated. Regarding subjects, there’s a return to the subjective, or rather, the private or intimate, over the social. Thus, issues such as childhood, youth, relationships, fears, guilt, and lies are taken up again. The pieces are easier to read than those of the 1960s, and the plots regain entity or relevance.
The list of authors from this literary moment is extensive, but some notable names include Antonio Muñoz Molina, Luis Landero, and Arturo Pérez-Reverte.
As for the novel in the 1990s and 2000s, the lyrical and introspective tone of previous years has increased. There is a tendency towards autobiographism and the blending of autobiography and fiction (sometimes called “autofiction”).