Spanish Poetry Evolution: Civil War to Present
Main Orientations of Spanish Poetry Since the Civil War
1930s: Re-humanization and Social Context
In the 1930s, avant-garde experimentation gave way to a process of re-humanization in literature, reflecting the hectic social context of the time. Poetry became committed to reality, a feature accentuated during the Civil War.
1936-1939: Propaganda and the Rise of Miguel Hernandez
Between 1936 and 1939, both Republican and Nationalist sides developed propaganda. Poems became weapons of struggle, exalting leaders and fallen comrades while attacking the enemy. While this production is not largely characterized by its quality, Miguel Hernandez emerged as a notable figure. His work, which began before the war, reached its maturity during these years.
Post-Civil War to Today: Evolving Trends
Since the end of the Civil War, poetry has gone through different moments, from evasion of social commitment to pure poetry and aesthetic avant-garde experimentation. The variety of poetry in this period is also seen in the preferred literary models, with references ranging from Alberti, Vallejo, and Neruda (committed poetry) to Futurism, Garcilaso de la Vega (evasion and aesthetics), and avant-garde poetry (latest trends). Poets drew inspiration not only from Spanish sources like Aleixandre, Borges, Paz, and Cernuda but also from European literature, such as Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot, especially in recent decades.
Historical and Social Influences
Historical and social circumstances of Spanish life have been decisive in shaping these orientations:
- 1940s: These years of prosperity saw neoclassical poetry of nationalist fervor and evasion. Alongside it, existential poetry expressed the anguish of human beings, and new avant-garde proposals maintained continuity with pre-war poetry.
- 1950s: This decade saw the triumph of social poetry, used as an ideological weapon to denounce injustices.
Poetry of Miguel Hernandez
Miguel Hernandez’s poetic work emerged during the transition between cutting-edge innovation and the re-humanization experienced by some Generation of ’27 poets, with whom he shared aesthetic and personal ties. His poetry is permeated by intense emotion and deep human content, framed in verses of great formal perfection.
Key Themes in Hernandez’s Poetry
- Love: Initially, eroticism is an unsatisfied desire causing suffering, but later it appears as the fullness of love that fills one with happiness. Love for his wife and son becomes a common motif.
- Pain and Death: Personal experiences and social reality cause suffering, with death as its highest expression. The war exacerbated pain, hunger, imprisonment, and the absence of loved ones.
- Life and Hope: In contrast to the previous themes, Hernandez’s poetry reflects a deep vitalism, usually attached to love and solidarity. While social engagement forces him to strike hard at the perpetrators of suffering, hope for a better future emerges.
The second stage in Hernandez’s poetry is influenced by Pablo Neruda and his conception of “impure poetry,” committed to reality.
Hernandez’s Symbols
- The belly and sex: Represent the center of life, the fullness of love, and a safe haven.
- Lightning: Conveys the idea of fire consuming passion in the lover, as well as causing injury.
- The bull: Represents virility, passion, and freedom, coupled with death.
- Night and darkness: Like the bull, these are linked to the theme of death.
- Weapons: An aggressive symbol of pain.
- The moon: Symbolizes change, vitality, and fertility.