Spanish Postwar Theater & 1950s Social Realism Novels
Spanish Theater in the Immediate Postwar Period (1940s)
In the immediate postwar period, the dominant theatrical genres were comedy and escapist drama. These two trends persisted in later theater.
The theater of the early postwar years was quite poor, marked by the absence of major playwrights like Valle-Inclán, Lorca, and Muñoz Seca. Other factors included censorship and cultural isolation. Entertainment comedy and ideological or political drama triumphed, featuring playwrights like Jacinto Benavente and Joaquín Calvo Sotelo.
Key Trends and Playwrights
- Humorous Theater: Represented by Enrique Jardiel Poncela and Miguel Mihura.
- Ideological or Political Drama: Represented by Antonio Buero Vallejo and Alfonso Sastre.
Ideological Drama (1940s-1950s)
The drama of the 1940s evolved from existential concerns toward social realism in the 1950s. Its top representatives were Antonio Buero Vallejo and Alfonso Sastre.
Antonio Buero Vallejo (1916-2000)
Buero Vallejo’s theater achieved unity and coherence through its ethical tone. In 1949, his play Historia de una escalera (Story of a Staircase) won the Lope de Vega Theater Prize. He addressed the conflicts within the society of his era, debuting successfully with this work. His central works feature realistic characters and present social problems. Some of his best works combine realism and experimentalism, while others are historical pieces. He also incorporated fantasy settings and later wrote about torture and guilt.
Alfonso Sastre (1926-2021)
Sastre is the next major representative of social theater. He promoted his ideas through theoretical articles in newspapers and magazines, defending his theatrical work. The theme of oppression dominates his plays, with the social aspect predominating over the individual. Significant titles include:
- Escuadra hacia la muerte (Death Squad)
- La mordaza (The Gag)
Humorous Theater (Postwar)
Postwar humorous theater offered an intellectualized mood, exploiting the comic possibilities of language while often hiding a bitter vision of postwar reality. Modern humorous literature arose around a group of comedians associated with the magazine La Codorniz, which employed a fairly intellectualized humor.
Enrique Jardiel Poncela (1901-1952)
A novelist and playwright, Jardiel Poncela was one of the few authors who regularly premiered works successfully. His humor is based on the absurd, irony, lack of sentimentality, and a futuristic quality. He conceived of theater as a realm of the absurd, chaining implausible situations with atypical characters and humorous dialogues that reveal a highly intellectualized and critical vision of reality. Notable works include:
- Cuatro corazones con freno y marcha atrás (Four Hearts with Brake and Reverse)
- Eloísa está debajo de un almendro (Eloisa Is Underneath an Almond Tree)
- Los ladrones somos gente honrada (We Thieves Are Honourable People)
Miguel Mihura (1905-1977)
Mihura wrote plays and screenplays, and he founded and directed La Codorniz. In 1952, he premiered Tres sombreros de copa (Three Top Hats), written in 1932. He achieved success with young university audiences. His humor is based on the displacement of language. He held a different view of society, showing sympathy toward marginal and unbiased characters.
Social Realism in Novels (1950s)
In the 1950s, the Spanish novel abandoned existentialist visions and took up new social concerns. The themes reflected the collective problems of the time, using a simple style intended to reach a broad public. The main subject of the 1950s novel was Spanish society itself: the harshness of rural life, urban issues, etc. The realistic novel’s style was simple in language and narrative technique, aiming for the widest possible audience.
Two Streams of Social Realism
Objectivism
This stream aimed to present reality from a neutral perspective, understanding the novel as a witness of the era. It followed behavioral or behaviorist theory, according to which literature should only record the actions and words of people, with the author not appearing in the work. It often featured a collective protagonist and had a simple structure and style. Representatives include:
- Ignacio Aldecoa
- Jesús Fernández Santos
Critical Realism
Evolving from objectivism, critical realism intended to denounce social injustices. The writer made a commitment to reality, trying to transform it. Characters were often representative types of their social class rather than individualized beings. Authors include:
- Lauro Olmo
- Luis Goytisolo