The Generation of ’27: Prose, Poetry, and Key Authors
The Prose of the Generation of ’27
Moving from a strictly literary conception of the avant-garde, the artwork of this generation also expresses the moral, social, and political concerns of its authors. José Ortega y Gasset’s ideas about the novel were a decisive influence. Important elements include originality, unusual scenes, the use of fantasy and imagination, the creation of specific environments, as well as humor, wit, and irony.
Key Prose Writers
Benjamin Jarnés: One of the most important avant-garde narrators. Some of his titles include Zumbel Theory (1930) and Scenes with Death (1931).
Francisco Ayala: Like Jarnés, Ayala published several stories in the magazine Occidente. After the Spanish Civil War, he resumed his writing in exile.
Max Aub: He wrote several novels characteristic of the experimental prose of the time, such as Geography (1928) and Green Fable (1933).
Corpus Barga: Wrote avant-garde stories, for example, Passion and Death, Apocalypse (1930).
Rosa Chacel: Her experimental novel, Station and Back (1930), a long introspective monologue, was her first published work.
The Poetry of the Generation of ’27
Federico García Lorca (1898-1936)
Born in Fuentevaqueros (Granada), Lorca studied Law and Philosophy. In Madrid, he resided at the Residencia de Estudiantes, where he connected with leading scholars. Besides poetry, he was devoted to music and painting. During his life, marked by triumph, he cultivated both poetry and theater with equal success. Today, he is considered one of the essential authors of Spanish literary history. He was executed near Granada for his support of the Republic.
Lorca published Book of Poems in 1921 and Songs in 1922, making him one of the first to publish within the Generation of ’27. These works show a strong influence of Bécquer and Modernism. He gradually found his own poetic voice, and Song of the Rider. Poem of the Deep Song (composed in 1921, published in 1931) solidified his style. This book portrays Andalusia through flamenco songs centered on the theme of death. It covers popular topics from a religious perspective, and each poem bears Lorca’s unmistakable stamp.
Gypsy Ballads (1928) is one of Lorca’s greatest poetic works. He associates the world of gypsies, stylized and unreal, with freedom and joy. In contrast, the Civil Guard represents repression and sadness. This juxtaposition highlights the opposition between life and death. The work connects art and tradition: art appears in the imagery and metaphors, sometimes difficult to interpret, while tradition is evident in the constant use of romance. The Andalusian world emerges from a fantastical and unreal perspective.
Lorca traveled to New York in 1929 and was deeply affected by the city. This impact resulted in Poet in New York (1935). Through Surrealism, he portrays the city as the epitome of civilization’s negative aspects, particularly the dehumanization embodied in its buildings. Lorca expresses his disdain for this way of life through innovative metaphors and imagery. This work marks a turning point in his style, incorporating illogical and dreamlike images, bizarre associations, and frequent free verse.
Surrealism also appears in Divan of the Tamarit (1931-1934), composed of eighteen short poems centered on Arabic and Andalusian culture.
Lament for the Death of Ignacio Sánchez Mejías (1934) is one of Lorca’s finest works. Dedicated to his friend, the bullfighter and poet Sánchez Mejías, who died in the bullring, it encapsulates Lorca’s world. It combines popular themes with Surrealism, employing highly stylized language, masterful metaphors, and repetition.
Lorca’s poetry is arguably the most significant of the Generation of ’27. He uniquely blends religious and popular elements. The color and brilliance of his poems are undeniable, and his style is unmistakable.
Lorca’s theater is also crucial to Spanish literature, as explored in discussions of Spanish theater in the first half of the twentieth century.
Vicente Aleixandre (1898-1984)
Born in Seville, Aleixandre spent most of his childhood in Malaga. He moved to Madrid to study law but dedicated himself fully to literature, earning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1977. He became a master of postwar poetry.
His early works appeared slightly later than those of other Generation members. In 1928 and 1932, he published Ambit and Swords Like Lips, respectively. These works were written in the surrealist style. His major work, Destruction or Love (1934), also employs this technique. The world appears as a unified entity where humans are compelled to love. Aleixandre uses free verse, often in long lines, and a solemn tone.
Shadow of Paradise (composed in 1939, published in 1944) chronicles the aftermath of war. Amidst the pain, Aleixandre seeks beauty. History of the Heart (1954) focuses on human solidarity as the path forward. His style matures in two later works: Poems of the Consummation (1968) and Knowledge and Dialogues (1974). In these, he reconnects with his initial Surrealism.
Aleixandre is considered a master of postwar poetry, particularly for his exploration of love and life.
Luis Cernuda (1902-1963)
Born in Seville, Cernuda earned a law degree but chose to pursue literature. He was appointed Reader in Spanish at the École Normale de Toulouse and later lived in Madrid. During the Spanish Civil War, he went into exile in England and never returned to Spain. He taught at English and American universities and moved to Mexico in 1952, where he died.
Cernuda led a solitary and painful life. He felt like an outsider, perhaps due to his homosexuality, which led him to isolate himself and rebel against societal norms. Throughout his life, he wrote about the impossibility of realizing dreams in a hostile reality. Frustration, longing for a better life, boredom, and love are recurring themes in his poetry.
Bécquer’s influence is evident in most of Cernuda’s poems. He rejects pompous language, opting for a conversational tone with everyday words and colloquialisms. He uses long verses and often forgoes rhyme, reflecting his inner world with a deeply romantic sensibility.
Influenced by Jorge Guillén, Cernuda published Profile in the Air (1927), a collection of youthful and tender poems. A River, Love (1929) and Forbidden Pleasures (1931) explore the theme of love. Cernuda began incorporating surrealist techniques, culminating in Where Oblivion Dwells (1932-1933). He moved away from love and embraced themes of forgetting. He gathered his poems in Reality and Desire (1936), revisiting romantic love, death, and loneliness with clear and sincere language.
After the war, Cernuda expanded his thematic scope. Exile and war appear in works like Clouds (1940) and Living Without Living (1944-1949). Desolation of the Chimera (1962) is considered his masterpiece. He bids farewell to poetry and reflects on childhood, love, exile, and art.
Cernuda also wrote two prose poetry books: Ocnos (1942-1963), reminiscent of Andalusia, and Variations on a Mexican Theme (1949-1950), inspired by Mexico.
His literary criticism is notable, particularly his Studies in Contemporary Spanish Poetry (1957).
Rafael Alberti (1902-1999)
Alberti, the longest-living member of the Generation of ’27, was born in Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz). He initially pursued painting but abandoned it for poetry. In 1934, he founded the revolutionary magazine October. Due to the Spanish Civil War, he went into exile in Argentina and later moved to Rome in 1962. He died in his hometown.
Alberti’s deep knowledge of Spanish literature shines through in his work. Influences from ballads, the Cancionero, Garcilaso, Góngora, Lope, Bécquer, Juan Ramón Jiménez, and Antonio Machado are evident. He cultivated various styles: popular, surrealist, pure poetry, and humanized poetry. Along with Lorca, he exemplifies the neopopularist poetry of the Generation of ’27.
Sailor (1924), his first book, won the National Book Award. It comprises short poems with popular themes, characterized by lightheartedness and musicality. It centers on the sea and longing for one’s homeland. The Mistress of the Inn (1925) resulted from his journey through Spain and, like his previous work, draws inspiration from popular poetry.
With Lime and Song (1929), Alberti shifted towards avant-garde and learned poetry. Góngora’s influence, already present, becomes more pronounced in Above the Angels (1929), a book immersed in a turbulent and distressing surreal world.
In his third stage, influenced by the Spanish Civil War, Alberti published Poet on the Street (1938) and From One Moment to Another (1937-1939). He joined the Communist Party and produced significant propaganda for the Republic. These poems, committed to the cause, are humanized and sometimes resemble pamphlets.
During his exile, Alberti continued to publish prolifically. To Painting (1948) pays homage to one of his passions. In Return of the Living from Afar (1952) and Sea Prayer (1953), he writes nostalgic poems dedicated to his distant homeland. Ballads and Songs of Paraná (1954) continues the theme of exile and nostalgia. Finally, Alberti pays tribute to Rome, his final place of exile, in Rome, Danger to Pedestrians (1968).