The Generation of ’27: Poetry, Themes, and Evolution
Pure Poetry and the Inauguration of *Cántico*
Pure poetry: The tendency inaugurates with Jorge Guillén when publishing Cántico, a book that follows in the footsteps of Juan Ramón Jiménez, with a poetry that seeks to express the fullness of being.
Developments in the Generation of ’27
Early Stage
Early Stage: This is the time when poets publish their first books. Gerardo Diego was earlier with his creationist works. At this stage belongs Marinero en tierra by Rafael Alberti.
Stage of Maturity
Stage of Maturity: It is the golden age of the group. In 1928, two very important books were published: Cántico by Jorge Guillén and García Lorca’s Gypsy Ballads. Within the cutting-edge trend, creationism is replaced by surrealism in books like The Passion of the Earth by Vicente Aleixandre. At the end of the stage, a greater social commitment emerges.
Stage of Disintegration
Stage of Disintegration: It begins in 1936 when the Civil War scattered the group. Lorca was killed in Granada in 1936. Alberti, Cernuda, Guillén, Altoaguirre, and others left for exile. The experience of war and exile influences their works. Avant-garde poetry concerned with the great problems of human existence is abandoned:
- Guillén: Clamor expresses the horror of war.
- Alberti: The Carnation and the Sword, Return of the Living Far reflects nostalgia for the homeland and lost youth.
- Aleixandre: History of the Heart shows he joined the post-war social poetry movement.
Key Themes in the Generation of ’27
The Theme of Love
The Theme of Love: Highlights the passionate vision in which pleasure and pain mingle in poets such as Vicente Aleixandre and Luis Cernuda. Moreover, Pedro Salinas conceived love as an art that requires imagination and a daily effort that transforms the lovers.
The Theme of Fullness
The Theme of Fullness: Jorge Guillén expresses it in Cántico, taken by surprise by the harmony of nature. In contrast, Cernuda expresses the theme of loneliness and rootlessness (Desolation of the Chimera).
The Theme of Death
The Theme of Death: Is not accepted with resignation by any of the poets of ’27. In Lorca, the subject appears in his earliest poems, like a foreshadowing of his own destiny.