The Spanish Novecentismo and Notable Essayists
5 Pío Baroja
The great novelist Pío Baroja (1872-1956) cultivated various literary forms, but his novels stand out as the primary vehicle for his aesthetic and political ideas. In works like The Tree of Knowledge and Caesar or Nothing, he presents a critical view of the Spanish nation, advocating for its Europeanization while preserving its unique identity.
Essays and Reports
Baroja’s essays, including The Platform of Harlequin (1904), New Table of Harlequin (1917), and Youth, Egomania (1917), reveal his political and social views. He defines himself as a radical liberal, individualist, and anarchist, rejecting political dogma and expressing skepticism towards democracy. In The Lone Hours. Notes from a Psychologist Apprentice (1918), he discusses his aesthetic principles, rejecting empty rhetoric and championing spontaneity and creative freedom.
Novecentismo
Linked to the Free Institution of Education and inheriting the spirit of the Generation of ’98, the Novecentismo movement shared a strong academic and scientific focus, faith in Spain’s future, a European vocation, and a liberal, elitist perspective.
1 José Ortega y Gasset
José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955) was a highly influential essayist, impacting young writers and thinkers. In his philosophical works, such as Meditations on Don Quixote (1914) and The Theme of Our Time (1923), he developed the doctrine of ratiovitalism, a synthesis of pure reason and vitality. His aesthetic ideas are presented in The Dehumanization of Art (1925) and Ideas on the Novel (1925). In Invertebrate Spain (1921) and The Revolt of the Masses (1930), he analyzes the social tensions in Spain arising from the labor movement and nationalism.
Ortega y Gasset discusses the crisis in Spain and Europe, attributing it to the “intractability of the masses” who refuse to follow the guidance of “egregious minorities.” His Spectator series (1916-1934) covers diverse topics, while On Love (1940) equates love with a mystical experience.
2 Eugeni d’Ors
Eugeni d’Ors (1882-1954) was a philosopher of culture who sought to revitalize Spanish society through art education. He advocated for a classical spirit, reconciling tradition and renewal, as seen in Ideas and Forms (1928) and Theory of Styles (1941). His works include art criticism (Three Hours in the Prado Museum, 1922) and philosophy (The Philosophy of the Man Who Works and Plays, 1914).
Other Notable Essayists
Salvador de Madariaga (1886-1978) wrote essays on European characterology, Spanish history, literary criticism, and biographies. Manuel Azaña (1880-1940) was a progressive intellectual and statesman who wrote literary criticism, novels (The Garden of the Friars, 1927), and political essays. Gregorio Marañón (1887-1960) was a physician and humanist known for his historical biographies. Other important figures include Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Ramón Menéndez Pidal, Juan Zaragüeta, Manuel García Morente, Fernando Vela, Ramón de Basterra, Joaquín Xirau, Pius Infante, José Bergamín, and Ernesto Giménez Caballero.
Américo Castro (1885-1972) and Claudio Sánchez Albornoz (1893-1984) engaged in a significant debate about the origins and essence of the Spanish nation in The Historical Reality of Spain (1954) and Spain, a Historical Enigma (1956), respectively.