Spanish Post-Civil War Novel: Trends and Authors
Spanish Novel After the Civil War
The Falangist Novel
In the immediate post-war period, we have to talk about the novel with Falangist ideology, similar to rooted poetry. The novelists are young Falangists, consistent with the regime that was victorious in the war. They want to record the victory as a historic event. Rafael Sánchez Mazas and Tomás Borrás can be mentioned.
The Existentialist Novel
The existentialist novel merely expresses the conscience of the individual character or his story in a struggle with fate or with everyday circumstances. They are works that seek a path of renewal in the post-war period, different from the Falangist. The arguments of these novels focus on the Civil War or the hardships of war.
Three important authors stand out:
- Camilo José Cela: His work is in the “tremendismo” style in The Family of Pascual Duarte, a novel of social realism in The Hive, and experimental in Boxwood.
- Miguel Delibes: His work is divided into existential in The Shadow of the Cypress is Elongated, a realist novel of the rural environment in The Road, and urban environments in Five Hours with Mario.
- Gonzalo Torrente Ballester: His work is divided into four stages. The first stage deals with the Civil War in Javier Mariño, the second stage is social realism with Joys and Shadows, the third incorporates experimental elements with La Saga/Fuga de JB, and the fourth progresses in mood with Filomeno, to My Regret.
The Novel of Social Realism
The novel of social realism begins with The Hive and is characterized by presenting reality as it is, incorporating techniques of the “Lost Generation,” such as Faulkner. The characters are characterized by their behaviors (behaviorism). In addition to the three authors cited, Ignacio Aldecoa with The Glare and the Blood and Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio with Jarama are emphasized.
Narrative Renovation
In 1962, Time of Silence by Luis Martín Santos was published, which began a period of narrative renovation. It is not a change in ideological intentions but an accumulation of innovative resources, such as counterpoint, interior monologue, or flashback. Finally, this current becomes total experimentalism, destroying the plot and characterization. Works such as School of Mandarins by Miguel Espinosa or Last Evenings with Teresa by Juan Marsé serve as examples.
Recent Decades
In the last decades, the narrative has reached an unknown social prestige, which previously enjoyed poetry and drama, so it has become the fashionable genre. Five generations are distinguished by contact in these decades:
- The masters of the post-war period (Delibes, Torrente Ballester, and Cela)
- The social realists (Sánchez Ferlosio, Martín Gaite, etc.)
- The Group of ’68 (Mendoza, Vázquez Montalbán)
- The generation of democracy (Álvaro Pombo, Juan José Millás)
- The last generation (José Ángel Mañas)
Trends and Subgenres
The authors of these periods fall into various trends and departments in their production:
- Civil War and Francoism: Mazurka for Two Dead by Cela or 377A, a Wooden Hero by Delibes.
- Historical Novel: This is dominated by Eduardo Mendoza with The City of Marvels and The Truth About the Savolta Case, and Pérez Reverte with The Fencing Master.
- Mystery Novel: In the saga starring Pepe Carvalho by Vázquez Montalbán, and Beltenebros by Muñoz Molina.
- Other Genres: The metanovel in The Mess of Your Name by Juan José Millás, and the lyrical and intimate novel with Yellow Rain by Julio Llamazares.