The Generation of ’27: A Deep Dive into Spanish Poetry

Posted on Sep 6, 2024 in Latin

The Generation of ’27

In the early 1920s, Spanish poetry was dominated by the works of Juan Ramón Jiménez and the avant-garde ideas of Creationism and Ultraísmo. Although these movements declined, young poets began to emerge, reinforcing their presence in Spanish lyricism. This culminated in the 1930s with a major poetic group: the Generation of ’27.

Some poets of this era sought the ideals of Noucentisme and pure poetry. These poets were influenced by Juan Ramón Jiménez, Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Ultraísmo, and Surrealism.

The Generation of ’27 is the name given to a group of poets who, in just two decades of creative activity, became a notable literary group.

Characteristics of the Generation of ’27

The characteristics of these poets are:

  • They saw the Baroque poet Góngora as a precursor to avant-garde aesthetics and, through him, reevaluated traditional metric forms. They found in Góngora’s poetry the importance of metaphor and imagery.
  • Influence of Juan Ramón Jiménez and the importance of pure poetry: suppression of storytelling, pathos, and the disposal of any tendency towards intellectualization.
  • Importance of the use by some poets of the Generation of ’27 of forms, rhythms, and different stylistic devices typical of folklore and traditional poetry (Alberti, Lorca, Diego).
  • The contemporary literary Neopopularismo, alive from Post-Romanticism and now connected with the ideals of aesthetic perfection of the time for its simplicity, styling, and capacity for improvement.
  • The avant-garde, seen in many authors, traces echoes of Surrealism and Futurism, introducing new themes like sports, cars, and airplanes.
  • One of the basic features of this poetry is the central role of metaphor and imagery, understood in the Ultraist and Creationist way.
  • The poetry seeks to balance tradition and modernity.

Three Stages of the Generation of ’27

Three stages can be differentiated until the Spanish Civil War:

  1. A youthful period, until 1925, with poets such as Gerardo Diego. It appreciates the desire to learn, debugging Juan Ramón Jiménez.
  2. The second period (last half of the 1920s), when all the poets, with the exception of Miguel Hernández, published important books, becoming the younger generation of poets. The integrating desire of the poets of ’27 is perceived: exploration of the new cutting edge, using elements of Neopopularismo and cultivated literary tradition, and so on.
  3. In the third stage (1930s), during the Second Spanish Republic, poets such as Alberti or Prados adopted an open position of political commitment. Pablo Neruda’s magazine Caballo Verde para la Poesía (Green Horse for Poetry) published the manifesto On Poetry Without Purity.

Authors and Major Works

Pedro Salinas

A follower of the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez, Salinas’s lyrical work is divided into three stages:

  1. An initial stage where poetry grows in line with aesthetic purity with abundant Juan Ramón Jiménez-influenced futuristic elements (Presagios, Seguro azar, and Fábula y signo).
  2. The second stage consists of a cycle of love: La voz a ti debida, Razón de amor, and Largo lamento.
  3. The third stage would be the time of exile: El contemplado, Todo más claro, and Confianza.

His poetry seeks to delve into deep emotions, but more as an intellectual experience than passion.

Jorge Guillén

Guillén’s first three books, Cántico, Clamor, and Homenaje, culminated with his idea that all his poetry is a unique work, perfectly conceived and structured. It consists of two books: Aire nuestro and Final. He has always been considered the most faithful representative within the ’27 poets of the ideal of pure poetry. His works are characterized by a high level of aesthetic requirements, rigorous composition, elegant language, and typographic perfection.

Gerardo Diego

His extensive poetic work is characterized by its formal and thematic variety. He alternates tradition and innovation simultaneously. His avant-garde poetry includes: Imagen, Limbo, and Manual de espumas. His traditional poetry includes: Romancero de la novia, Soria, and Versos humanos. The metric is now classic.

Vicente Aleixandre

His work is influenced by Juan Ramón Jiménez and, in its final stage, by Surrealism. It is usually divided into three stages:

  1. The first published four books: Ámbito, Pasión de la tierra, Espadas como labios, and Destrucción o amor.
  2. In his maturity, after the Civil War, he published important poems: Historia del corazón and Sombra del paraíso.
  3. In the poetry of old age (3rd Stage) he published: Poemas de la consumación and Diálogos del conocimiento.

Federico García Lorca

The central themes of his poetry are frustration, love, death, and rebellion, appearing in his first book, Libro de poemas. His works include: Poema del cante jondo, Suites, Canciones, and Romancero gitano. With the release of Poeta en Nueva York, he denounced the capitalist society in which everything is subordinate to the power of money. The influence of Surrealism is evident in the expressive freedom, the uninhibited erotic imagery, and the use of bold, visionary, and amazing metaphors. He also composed an elegy, Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, where he combines popular and cultivated tradition with great success to capture the desolation of the poet by the death of his bullfighter friend.

Emilio Prados

Three stages can be distinguished in his work:

  1. His first book (Canciones del farero, Cuerpo perseguido)
  2. The poetry of the thirties (Llanto subterráneo, Llanto en la sangre)
  3. The work of Mexican exile (Jardín cerrado, La piedra escrita)

His first books show the influence of Juan Ramón Jiménez and the Neopopularismo of Andalusia. In the thirties, he was influenced by Surrealism, and in exile, a dense philosophical poetry and emotional intensity can be seen.

Rafael Alberti

Four stages can be distinguished in his work:

  1. Initial books (Marinero en tierra)
  2. Avant-garde period (Cal y canto)
  3. Poetry during the Republic (Con los zapatos puestos tengo que morir)
  4. The period of exile (Entre el clavel y la espada)

Luis Cernuda

He gathered his books under the same title, La realidad y el deseo, which is broken down into:

  • Primeros poemas, influenced by Juan Ramón Jiménez and Classicism
  • Égloga, elegía, oda, Un río, un amor, influenced by Surrealism
  • Los placeres prohibidos, influenced by Surrealism, which claimed freedom from a repressive society
  • Donde habite el olvido, a return to the Post-Romantic Classicism of Bécquer
  • Invocaciones

Manuel Altolaguirre

. Characteristic is the desire of communion with Nature (The islands invited)

-Miguel Hernández. He is a poet of transition. Gongora style characterized his first book, Perito en lunas, where there is a desire to emulate the baroque ingenuity. In the ray that does not stop, the expression of uninhibited eroticism is combined with the presence of religious elements that are transformed to express a love life and torn. Songbook and ballads of authors, reflecting the existential angst of who is on the edge of nowhere .