Spanish Poetry: Generations and Movements
Characteristics of the Generation of ’27
It is known as the Generation of ’27 to a group of poets who share certain characteristics. The authors of this group maintained very close personal relationships, often centered around the Residencia de Estudiantes, a free institution of education. In 1927, they participated in an act of homage to Góngora, whom they admired for his quest for a different literary language, distinct from everyday speech. All of them began to publish around 1920. They received influences from avant-garde movements and authors like Juan Ramón Jiménez (in his *pure poetry* phase) and Ortega y Gasset. However, they always felt a great interest in the traditional forms of poetry.
The most prominent writers of this generation were Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guillén, Gerardo Diego, Vicente Aleixandre, Federico García Lorca, Dámaso Alonso, Rafael Alberti, and Luis Cernuda. Miguel Hernández is also often included. They all shared a concern for poetic language. Metaphor and image play a key role in their poetry.
Post-war Poetry
Two movements:
Rooted Poetry
Poets expressing post-war optimism with an eagerness and a desire for perfection and order. It possesses a vision of clarity and calm in the world, using traditional forms and with a strong religious sense. Poets include Luis Rosales, Leopoldo Panero, Luis Felipe Vivanco, and Dionisio Ridruejo.
Uprooted Poetry
Poetry marked by a feeling of deep sorrow and desolation following the war. Suffering and distress are the two prominent feelings. Its style is more sober and sometimes direct, and the form is less of a concern. Religious sentiment manifests itself in a deep dialogue with God, in a tone that is sometimes desperate and of open rebellion. Criticism is very present in all of their poems. Key figures: Dámaso Alonso (in his book *Children of Wrath*), Victoriano Crémer, Eugenio de Nora, Ángela Figuera. Unclassifiable writers like León Felipe and José Hierro also emerged at this time.
Poetry of the 1950s: Social Realism
Social poetry appears, where the poet is committed to solidarity with other men and understands his work as a “loaded gun for the future.” The subject of Spain reappears as a concern, and a simple, direct style is used. Many authors fall into a prosaic, banal, and almost political poetry that contains a clearly utopian propaganda message. Some outstanding poets are Blas de Otero and Gabriel Celaya. Other poets who will follow very different paths also emerge, such as Ángel González and the Barcelona School, with Jaime Gil de Biedma, Carlos Barral, and José Agustín Goytisolo.
Poetry of the 1970s (The Novísimos)
In 1970, José María Castellet’s anthology *Nueve novísimos poetas españoles* appeared, including a group of poets born after 1939 who presented a new way of understanding poetry: a new sensibility (interest in comics, television, music, and new cultural trends). New personal issues alternate with public issues with an ironic attitude. A corrosive style gives more importance to form, and erudite and cultured references are common. Vanguard influences are evident in their experimental lines. Notable figures include Pere Gimferrer, whose work *Arde el mar* features a complicated and obscure language and covers topics such as the passage of time and the loss of youth.