The Generation of ’27: A Poetic Synthesis
The Generation of ’27, a group of Spanish poets born around the turn of the 20th century, embodies the traits of a generation shaped by shared intellectual pursuits and mutual admiration. Their gathering for a tribute to Luis de Góngora, guided by Juan Ramón Jiménez, solidified their common stylistic features and recognition of a bygone era. These poets achieved a remarkable synthesis of tradition and innovation.
Bridging Tradition and the Avant-Garde
From Spain’s rich literary past, they resurrected traditional poetic forms, drawing inspiration from the Golden Age and the 19th century. They embraced the innovative metrics and imagery of Darío while incorporating a 20th-century conception of reality—one that could be contemplated, dreamed, or imagined—as seen in the works of Unamuno and Machado. This blend of tradition was further enriched by avant-garde themes and techniques.
Themes and Styles
Their poetry explored fundamental human experiences: love, the universe, fate, and death, often intertwined with reflections on technology’s impact. Nature frequently became an integral part of the poetic self. Stylistically, they revitalized poetic language, cultivating metaphors and visionary imagery. They seamlessly combined traditional metric forms with free verse.
Evolution in Three Stages
The evolution of the Generation of ’27 unfolded in three stages:
- First Stage (until 1927): Coinciding with the peak of the avant-garde movement, the poets balanced tradition and innovation, drawing inspiration from pure poetry, creationism, and futurism. Themes of love and the search for a reality beyond the tangible were prominent, particularly in works like Presagios by Pedro Salinas.
- Second Stage (1927-1936): Surrealism offered a new language for expressing emotions. This period marked a re-humanization of the self and an exploration of human feelings. Salinas’s La voz a ti debida and Largo lamento exemplify this stage.
- Third Stage (from 1939): The Spanish Civil War tragically fragmented the group. Salinas, in exile, produced works like El Contemplado.
Key Figures of the Generation of ’27
Pedro Salinas
Salinas viewed poetry as a path to understanding the essence of life. Love and the pursuit of the absolute dominated his work. His style, characterized by simplicity and contrast, alternated between long and short sentences, often employing dialogue. Parallelism and repetition contributed to the rhythm of his verse, primarily using short lines and octosyllabic meter.
Jorge Guillén
Guillén extracted fundamental ideas and feelings from concrete realities. His themes encompassed love, the human capacity for joy, time, and the quest for order amidst chaos. Simple sentence structures and evocative punctuation marked his style. His diverse metrics are showcased in his collection Aire nuestro, which includes Cántico, Clamor, and Homenaje.
Gerardo Diego
Diego’s poetry is striking in its thematic and stylistic diversity, encompassing love, landscapes, bullfighting, and music. His work can be categorized into two types: one grounded in absolute reality, linked to traditional lyricism (e.g., Romance del la novia), and another embracing avant-garde techniques (e.g., Imagen and Manual de espumas).
Federico García Lorca
Lorca, a central figure of the Generation of ’27, is internationally renowned. A tragic sense of fate permeates his poetry, exploring the clash between individual desires and societal constraints. Sonetos del amor oscuro exemplifies this tragic tension. Poeta en Nueva York marks a shift towards new thematic territories.
Rafael Alberti
Alberti experimented with various styles, from the seemingly popular tone of Marinero en tierra to the Gongorine and avant-garde influences in other works. He explored surrealist techniques, notably in Sobre los ángeles, and later embraced social and political themes, evident in Entre el clavel y la espada and his exile poetry.