The Spanish Narrative: From Post-Civil War to the 21st Century
CARMEN MARTÍN GAITE. This novelist gained prestige in 1958 when she published Entre visillos, a novel about the lives of young women in a small town. In 1974, she published what is perhaps her best novel, Retahílas, a work with a renewed writing style characteristic of the 1960s.
The 1960s: Renewal and Experimentation
Features:
- Much more complex narrative structure with different internal stories.
- Monologue where the author allows the characters to flow freely.
- Perspectivism.
- Counterpoint thinking: the author breaks the linearity of the story by introducing simultaneous stories.
- Temporal and spatial disorder or lack thereof.
- Punctuation variety.
- Linguistic variety.
- Digressions: the author records thoughts, allowing them to express the relative importance of the argument.
AUTHORS:
Luis Martín Santos.
His early death only allowed him to publish “Tiempo de silencio”, which features continuous social criticism and a pessimistic view of the country. There is a renewal of technical and narrative resources.
Juan Benet.
He has an experimental narrative style, making his works complex and difficult to read. He wrote “Volverás a Región”, for example.
Francisco Umbral.
Uses language in his novels as he pleases; quick, rich, and with great expressiveness. He has works such as “Las ninfas”. He has also written essays and art criticism, dominating the newspaper article format.
Manuel Montalbán.
He was a poet but turned toward the novel. He cultivated the detective novel and is the creator of the famous detective Pepe Carvalho. Among his works are “Yo maté a Kennedy”, “El pianista”, and “Galíndez”.
The Novel in Exile
Features: Spanish authors have written all or most of their work outside of Spain. Their works reflect on Spain, the issue of the civil war, and the tragedy of exile.
AUTHORS:
Rosa Chacel.
Noted for a very careful style and psychological study of characters. Her beginnings are part of the avant-garde and the ideas of Ortega y Gasset. She wrote “Teresa”, for example. Upon returning to Spain, she published “Barrio de Maravillas” and later an autobiographical trilogy.
Francisco Ayala.
He won the Cervantes Prize. He is an author committed to humanity and society. His work is of high aesthetic quality and intellectual weight. He has written short stories like “Los usurpadores” and novels such as “Muertes de perro”. His most personal work is “El jardín de las delicias”, with plenty of literary references.
4. The Spanish Narrative from the 1970s to the Present: The Golden Age of Storytelling
There has been a resurgence of narrative, which has become a popular genre.
Circumstances:
- The abolition of censorship: authors return to the years of the civil war and explore erotic themes.
- Recovery of content related to a theory of postmodernism. There is irony and entertainment.
- Publishing houses and public and private institutions support narrative literature. Prizes are awarded.
- The novelist’s craft is filled with social prestige and economic benefits are obtained.
Film becomes another favorable factor to the spread of the novel. A large and loyal audience has been created who read novels by Spanish authors.
Five Generations in Contact
The great masters of the war: Cela, Delibes, and Torrente Ballester published novels that are considered their best production. The writers of his generation, from social realism, have updated their narrative: Carmen Martín Gaite, Ferlosio.
The group of 1968 is named for the influence that the events of May 1968 had on their formation. They emerged during the Franco regime and the transition. For example, Eduardo Mendoza.
The generation of democracy are writers who emerged in the 1980s: Javier Marías, Pérez-Reverte.
The latest generation of storytellers: they entered the publishing market in 1994 when José Ángel Mañas was a finalist in the Nadal and Premio Kromer awards and was very successful among young audiences.
Themes and Trends
- The Civil War and the Franco regime: time of transition. “El héroe de las mansardas” by Delibes. “Un día volveré” by Juan Marsé.
- Historical novels: the success of “The Name of the Rose” contributed to the establishment of the historical novel in Spain. Also, “Captain Alatriste”.
- Detective stories: the crime falls within a corrupt and unjust society in which there are many murderers and criminals. The narrative of Vázquez Montalbán stands out, with his series starring Pepe Carvalho.
- Metafiction: narratives that have literature, creative writing, and even the process of writing the novel as their theme. “Fragmentos de apocalipsis” by Torrente Ballester. Fiction uses self-reference when the author himself enters the novel as one more character, telling aspects of the creation of the book.
- Neo-traditionalist novel: a large group of novels that aim to describe the daily lives of ordinary individuals in different places, described realistically. “”Diario de un jubilado”” by Delibes.
- Novel of disappointment: characterized by the revision of recent Spanish history, outlining a less complacent view of Spanish politics and the transition. Illusions lost from the beginning of the 1970s. Titles such as “Si te dicen que caí” by Juan José Millás.
- Intimate or lyrical novel: events located in the remote past, such as childhood or early adulthood. It alternates between present and past. “Mortal y rosa”.
- Autobiographical novel: the author recounts important events of his life, and there is fictionalized adventure. “Coto vedado”.
- Women’s novels: a series of stories written by women, which offer a vision of Spanish society at the time, from a female perspective. “El cuarto de atrás” by Carmen Martín Gaite.
- The literary renaissance of the short story: there are many authors who publish collections of short stories influenced by Hispanic teachers. They show, for example, “Cuentos de terror” and “Cuentos eróticos”.