Spanish Poetry: From the Silver Age to the Post-War Era
Spanish Poetry: A Historical Overview
The Silver Age (1898-1936)
The period between 1898 and 1936 is considered the Silver Age of Spanish literature. This era encompasses three significant generations of writers: the Generation of fin de siglo, the Generation of 14, and the Generation of 27.
1. The Generation of fin de siglo
This generation saw the development of two main aesthetic directions:
- Modernism: A reaction against realism, Modernism sought to create an imaginary world characterized by beauty, exoticism, and sensuality. It served as an escape or as a means of addressing individual, social, and political issues. Introduced to Spain by Rubén Darío, this movement flourished in lyric poetry, seeking new forms of expression and rejecting earlier rhetorical styles.
- Generation of ’98: Following the disaster of 1898 (the loss of Spain’s remaining overseas colonies), dissatisfaction with Modernism grew. Led by Miguel de Unamuno, Pío Baroja, and Azorín, this generation included prominent writers such as Antonio Machado, Valle-Inclán, and Juan Ramón Jiménez. Noteworthy works include Antonio Machado’s Solitudes and Campos de Castilla.
This period spanned from the beginning of the 20th century to the First World War.
2. The Generation of 14
Emerging around the figure of Ortega y Gasset, the Noucentists advocated for the modernization of Spain, criticizing the sentimental subjectivity of the previous generation. They championed pure art. The year 1914, marking the beginning of World War I, is considered a pivotal point for pure poetry. Ramón Gómez de la Serna and Juan Ramón Jiménez were prominent figures. This literature, intended for an educated, primarily bourgeois minority, was characterized by a complex language and the ideal of “art for art’s sake.” Juan Ramón Jiménez’s Diary of a Newly Married Poet and Ramón Gómez de la Serna’s innovative use of the greguería (metaphor + humor) are highlights. Miguel Hernández, particularly drawn to the greguería’s ability to capture reality, is also associated with this generation.
The pursuit of pure poetry emphasized precise word choice and the elimination of unnecessary elements. Accuracy of language was key, as the work aimed for a select audience rather than mass appeal.
3. The Generation of ’27
This generation, sharing common interests with Juan Ramón Jiménez, coalesced around the tercentenary of Góngora’s death. Key members included Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guillén, Gerardo Diego, Federico García Lorca, Vicente Aleixandre, Dámaso Alonso, Luis Cernuda, and Rafael Alberti.
Two main schools of thought emerged:
- Following Juan Ramón Jiménez: Pedro Salinas (La voz a ti debida) and Jorge Guillén (Cántico) are representative of this group. Their work is characterized by short poems, a lack of sentimentality, and a rigorous, poetic language focused on beauty.
- Avant-garde followers: Rafael Alberti (Marinero en tierra), Federico García Lorca (Poet in New York), Luis Cernuda (Los placeres prohibidos), Vicente Aleixandre (La destrucción o el amor), and Miguel Hernández (El rayo que no cesa) pursued imaginative freedom, often creating dreamlike worlds that transformed reality through the use of metaphors.
The poetry of the Generation of 27 generally underwent a process of dehumanization, as described by Ortega y Gasset in The Dehumanization of Art. It was intended for an educated minority and largely dispensed with references to reality.
Miguel Hernández and the Generation of ’27
Although belonging to a later generation, Miguel Hernández (1910-1942) is often included with the Generation of ’27 due to his close personal and artistic ties and the contemporaneous nature of their work. Góngora’s influence is evident in his early work, El rayo que no cesa (1933). His later works, such as Viento del pueblo (1937) and El hombre acecha (1939), show a growing bitterness, reflecting the impact of the Civil War. His final collection, Cancionero y romancero de ausencias (1938-1940), contains many poems written during his imprisonment, where he ultimately died.
The Spanish Civil War and Post-War Poetry
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) caused a crisis in Spanish literature, with some authors dying and others forced into exile. From 1939 onward, the poetry of the victors emerged, often focusing on themes of love, religion, and empire. In 1944, poetry that was not rooted in lived experience, exemplified by Dámaso Alonso’s Hijos de la ira, gained prominence. Post-war poetry also included socially conscious works (Blas de Otero’s Pido la paz y la palabra), the poetry of the 1950s (realist poets like Ángel González and José Agustín Goytisolo), poetry of everyday experience, and experimental poetry of the 1970s (the”Last Thing” poets), characterized by freedom of form and influences from media such as film and cartoons.