The Generation of ’27: A Literary Renaissance
The Spanish Generation of ’27: A Deep Dive
New roads opened by the poetic work of Juan Ramón Jiménez and the renewal of avant-garde experiments formed an environment where a group of poets gave Spanish literature a new moment of brilliance. The extraordinary quality of their poetic production is undeniable. This group, known as the Generation of ’27, included figures like Jorge Guillén, Gerardo Diego, Federico García Lorca, Dámaso Alonso, Vicente Aleixandre, Luis Cernuda, and Rafael Alberti. Each of these great poets possessed a unique and individual style, yet some general characteristics can be applied to practically all of them.
Shared Influences and Characteristics
They were all influenced by Juan Ramón Jiménez, whose poetry led them deeper into the essence of things. United by a common purpose of renewing poetry, they respected the tradition of Spanish literary influences, and almost everyone referenced French Surrealism, especially in the creation of images and metaphors. Images were used as an essential resource in the poetry of this generation. As for the metric, they used traditional stanzas (the sonnet, the ballad, the carol, etc.) and experimented with free verse, blank verse, and versicle.
The poetry of this generation is so rich that critics have referred to it as a new Golden Age.
Key Themes of the Generation of ’27
There are three primary themes:
- The City: Urban areas were incorporated; this is reflected in Lorca’s Poet in New York.
- Nature and Love: Love is expressed through the language of the avant-garde.
- Commitment: Highlighted by Guillén’s work.
Religious concerns were minimal, touching upon God without prejudice. Classical poetry employed heptasyllabic and hendecasyllabic verses with forms like the trio and lyre, while popular poetry often used octosyllabic verse.
Notable Authors and Their Works
1. Pedro Salinas
Salinas had an initial stage in which he outlined Presagios, Seguro azar and introduced cutting-edge topics, using the free verse of the avant-garde. Another stage is the real cycle, where he wrote La voz a ti debida, reminiscent of Garcilaso’s verse.
2. Jorge Guillén
His most important book was Clamor. His style used simple words and syntactic structures, employing a metric of cultured tradition.
3. Gerardo Diego
He was the glue that introduced avant-garde poetry. He had a first stage where he wrote avant-garde poetry; important books from this period are Imagen and Manual de espumas. He also wrote poetry in *versos divinos*.
4. Vicente Aleixandre
He had three stages:
- Communion with nature, influenced by Surrealism. Books from this period include La destrucción o el amor and Sombra del paraíso. He thought that his poetry had to be more communicative.
- Historia del corazón.
- Introspection in Diálogos del conocimiento, reflecting on the meaning of life.
5. Dámaso Alonso
His stages included:
- A significant influence from Juan Ramón Jiménez. Book: Poemas puros.
- Hijos de la ira, written under the horror of the Civil War.
- Existential angst in dialogue with God, in Hombre y Dios.
6. Federico García Lorca
Lorca was the best-known poet. He had two stages:
- Popular character. Most important book: Romancero gitano, influenced by popular lyric poetry.
- Poeta en Nueva York, using a new, realistic technique.
7. Rafael Alberti
His stages were:
- Popular stage: Marinero en tierra, dedicated to the nostalgia of the sea.
- Surrealist phase.
- More socially engaged poems, protecting political and social problems of the time. Important book: Capital de la gloria.
- Entre el clavel y la espada.
8. Luis Cernuda
His stages included:
- Pure poetry: Perfil del aire.
- Madrid: Los placeres prohibidos and Donde habite el olvido. Cernuda gathered all his poetry in a book called La realidad y el deseo, reflecting a contradiction between what one does and what one can do.
- Exile: An intellectualist stage, where he wrote poems of thought, such as Desolación de la quimera.