Castilian Prose and Literature: 13th-14th Centuries
Origins of Castilian Prose
- Fernando III established Castilian as the language of chancery, replacing Latin. He declared Castilian the official language for all documents and texts.
- Alfonso X the Wise, son of Ferdinand III, promoted the Toledo School of Translators. He inspired historical, scientific, cultural, and literary works that helped establish a written policy for Castilian prose.
- In the 13th century, the first collections of stories or fables were translated into Arabic. The two most important
Spanish Novel: 1960s Evolution to Present
Spanish Novel: From the 1960s to the Present
The 1960s: Beyond Social Realism
In the 1960s, Spanish novelists began moving away from the social realist novel of the previous decade, experimenting with new narrative forms. This tendency led to more complex novels, moving away from the simple, testimonial realist tale. Authors looked to figures like Proust, Joyce, and Kafka for inspiration. Latin American novelists of the 1960s, such as Vargas Llosa, Cortázar, and Gabriel García Márquez, also became
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The Evolution of Translation and Prose in Medieval Spain
The School of Toledo Translators
In the twelfth century, the School of Toledo translators focused on translating Arabic texts into Latin and Hebrew. These translations served an educational purpose. From the thirteenth century, the first translations into Castilian Romance began. Two famous Eastern collections of parables, Sendebar and Kalila and Dimna, were translated into Castilian.
Alfonso X the Wise
King Alfonso X the Wise significantly contributed
Read MorePostwar Catalan Poetry: Trends and Authors
Postwar Catalan Poetry
We can observe three main trends:
- Symbolist tradition:
- Carles Riba represents a peak in this tradition.
- Bartomeu Rosselló-Pòrcel (1913-1938): New Poems.
- Rosa Leveroni.
- Màrius Torres: The Distant City.
- Avant-garde tradition:
- Josep Palau i Fabre: Poems of the Alchemist, Spiritual Song.
- Joan Brossa. His work consists of three stages:
- Neosurrealism: The Ball and the Beetle, Fogall Sonnet.
- Everyday life and political commitment, with themes based on violence and oppression: Catalonia and
Laocoön and His Sons: A Hellenistic Sculpture
Laocoön and His Sons
Background: The birth of culture and the flourishing of Greek art took place in the 8th and 9th centuries BC, when the Hellenic world recovered from the deep crisis provoked by the collapse of the Cretan-Mycenaean civilization, after the Doric invasion of the Peloponnese around 1200 BC. This initial period was characterized by the recovery of trade and the colonization of territories in the Western Mediterranean.
In the 7th century BC, contact with Egyptian and Mesopotamian culture
Read MoreSpanish Poetry: Generation of ’27 – Poets and Influences
The Generation of ’27: A Literary Overview
1926-1929: This period coincides with the centenary of pure poetry and the avant-garde movement.
1929-1930: Surrealism begins to influence Spanish poetry, with poets like Aleixandre and Lorca leading the way.
1936: The Spanish Civil War dramatically impacted the literary scene, leading to two main responses: silence or exile (as seen with figures like Rafael Alberti), or taking sides, as exemplified by poets like Luis Cernuda and Vicente Aleixandre. Federico
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