Spanish Poetry: Evolution from the 1960s to the Present
Social Poetry of the 1960s
Poetry from the 1960s, known as “social poetry,” reacted against a new group of poets who began publishing in the late 1950s. This movement sought further elaboration of poetic language and a shift from the collective to the personal. Without entirely surrendering the social meaning of poetry, the predominant themes became personal and daily experiences, often with a skeptical and moral tone. These poets defended the idea of the poem as an act of knowledge.
Most representative poets include:
- Barcelona Group: Carlos Barral, J. Agustín Goytisolo, Jaime Gil de Viedma
- Madrid Group: Angel Gonzalez, Jose Angel Valente, Claudio Rodríguez, Félix Grande
While each poet followed their own path, certain common aspects can be detected:
- Themes: Based on personal experience, such as the passage of time, the ephemeral nature of human existence, love, friendship, erotic relations, poetic creation, acts of daily life, family, and the evocation of childhood.
- Style: Continued the conversational tone and social anti-rhetoric of earlier poetry, but with greater attention to the formal and aesthetic values of the poem.
The 1970s: The *Novísimos*
Alienation from social poetry consolidated in the 1970s with the emergence of younger poets, born after the war. They were called *Novísimos* after the title of an anthology published in 1970 by J. Maria Castellet, entitled *Novísimos Españoles*. This anthology featured the following authors: Pere Gimferrer, Manuel Vazquez Montalban, Felix de Azua, Guillermo Carnero, Leopoldo M. Panero, Ana Maria Moix, Vicente Molina Foix, Antonio Martínez, and José María Álvarez Sarrión.
Salient features of this new generation include:
- Influence of mass media, particularly film.
- A quest for new forms of expression, with techniques ranging from collage to automatic writing.
- A wide variety of themes, both personal and public (myths of film, sports, and a broad cultural background).
- A maverick and sometimes provocative tone.
Poetry from 1975 Onward
After the death of Franco in 1975, the *Novísimos* remained the dominant poetic group, but their approaches began to be attenuated. Some of the most significant trends that emerged include:
- Culturalism: Poetry inspired by art and diverse cultural roots. Representative poet: Antonio Colinas.
- Sensualist Poetry: Poetry that exalts the senses, the enjoyment of life, and bodily beauty. Representative poet: Ana Rossetti.
- Classicism: Poetry rooted in the classical tradition. Representative poets: Luis Antonio de Villena, Antonio Carvajal, Luis Alberto de Cuenca.
- Neosurrealism: Continues the tradition of some of the Generation of ’27 poets, especially Aleixandre, and the newest poets closest to irrationalism. Representative poet: Blanca Andreu.
- Minimalist Poetry: Follows the teachings of the pure poetry of Jorge Guillen and J. Angel Valente. This distinctly intellectual poetry rejects any verbal excess. It is characterized by density, brevity, and expressive concentration. It aims to suggest through silences, hence it is also called “poetry of silence.” Representative poets: Jaime Siles, Andres Sanchez Robayna.
- Poetry of Experience: One of the most important trends. Its salient features are its urban character, its realistic subject matter, its expression of disenchantment, and its interest in the everyday, often with a critical eye and colloquial language. This group includes poets from the “Granada’s Other Sentimentality” movement, with Luis Garcia Montero as its best-known author.