The Spanish Novel: From Exile to Experimentation
1. The Novel of Exile
Authors who had to leave Spain at the end of the Civil War continued their literary work in other countries. Their work spoke of the experience of war and longing for the country.
The most notable authors were:
- Francisco Ayala
- Max Aub
- Rosa Chacel
- Ramon J. Sender (Chronicle of Dawn and Requiem for a Spanish Peasant – These novels describe the social tensions that caused the civil war, as seen from the viewpoint of the vanquished.)
2. The Novel in the Forties
A status of disorientation prevailed. Novels were published by some members of the Generation of ’98, alongside authors of the Franco regime and storytellers who cultivated a realistic aesthetic.
The most notable trends:
2.1 Nationalist Novel
This was the novel of the victors, who mainly depicted the ideological vision of Falange and the vindication of certain fundamental values. Works of this trend include The True Infantry (1943) by Rafael García Serrano, Blue Shirt (1939) by Philip Ximénez de Sandoval, and Javier Mariño (1943) by Gonzalo Torrente Ballester.
2.2 Humorous and Fantasy Novel
Fantasy, humor, and the creation of imaginary worlds were resources used to reject a reality that was too terrible. A key author was Wenceslao Fernandez Florez with works such as The Living Forest (1944).
2.3 Traditional Realist Novel
These were top postwar novels in which the life of the bourgeoisie, their values, and behaviors were the key issues. Authors include: Juan Antonio de Zunzunegui (Ay … these children!) and Ignacio Agustí (Mariona Rebull).
2.4 Existential or Alarmist Novel
This trend described reality by highlighting the discomfort and anguish of society and individuals. Notable authors include: Camilo José Cela (La familia de Pascual Duarte) and Carmen Laforet (Nada).
3. Social Novel of the Fifties
Features:
- a) Spanish novels reflected reality and served as an instrument of denunciation of social injustices.
- b) They presented contemporary environments: the world of the city, rural life, the frivolous life of the bourgeois, the working world (hard work, poor working conditions, lousy pay, etc.).
- c) The formal treatment was characterized by: objectivism (excluding the author’s point of view), the predominance of dialogue, a collective protagonist reflecting the social group, a brief development of the action in tight spaces, and a simple language with short sentences and basic vocabulary.
The most notable trends:
3.1 Critical Realism
This trend denounced social and political problems: the problems of rural areas, the urban working world, marginalization, the idle bourgeoisie of the cities, and so on. The first social novels were: The Hive (1951) by Camilo José Cela and The Wheel by Luis Romero (Nadal Prize in 1951). Other authors include: Armando López Salinas (Mine, 1960), José Manuel Caballero Bonald (Two Days of September, 1962), Alfonso Grosso (The Trench, 1961), Juan García Hortelano (New Friends, 1958, and Summer Storm, 1961), Jesús López Pacheco (Central Eléctrica, 1958, considered one of the best novels of critical realism), Juan Goytisolo (Juegos de Manos, 1954, and Duelo en el Paraíso, 1955), Juan Marsé (Encerrados con un solo juguete, 1960), and Luis Goytisolo (The Outside, 1958).
3.2 Objectivist or Behavioral Realism
This trend showed another aspect of the real world through issues such as loneliness, frustration, or disappointment. Authors include: Ignacio Aldecoa (The Brightness and Blood, 1954, and With the East Wind, 1956), Carmen Martín Gaite (Between Curtains, 1958), Ana María Matute (Little Theater, 1954), Jesús Fernández Santos (The Brave, 1954, and Head Shaved, 1958), and Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio (El Jarama, 1956).
4. The Experimental Novel (1960s-1975)
The experimental novel arose due to the exhaustion of the social realism novel and was influenced by the European experimental novel (authors such as Marcel Proust, James Joyce, Franz Kafka) and the Latin American novel (authors such as Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez). It was a formal and opaque novel, difficult to read and enjoyed by a minority. The renewal of narrative forms affected many aspects.
The main features are:
4.1 The Argument
The story told became increasingly irrelevant, and the action was minimal.
4.2 The Narrative Point of View
The narrator told the story from different points of view and from different grammatical persons (1st person, 3rd person, or even 2nd person). This technique is known as perspectivism.
4.3 Characters
The number of characters decreased, and the protagonist gained more importance. Interior monologue (which reflects how thinking occurs, without attempting to give it the form of verbal discourse) and free indirect style were used to characterize the characters.
4.4 Time
The story was not always told linearly; there were jumps in time, flashbacks, flashforwards, etc.
4.5 Space
Space became inaccurate.
4.6 The External Structure
Chapters shifted to sequences. With regard to the internal structure, the kaleidoscopic technique was used, which meant having several stories at once.
4.7 The Narrative Technique
The narrative technique removed the argument’s role. Sometimes the main story was interrupted by digressions, or stories were mixed with varied tones.
4.8 The Style
The style aimed for innovations through: changing the syntax (phrases could be too long or very short), the invention of words, the elimination of punctuation, or the arbitrary use of typography (different fonts, white space, etc.).
Various age groups coincided in the renewal of narrative techniques. The authors and their main works are:
- Time of Silence by Luis Martín-Santos opened this new trend.
- In 1966, three novels appeared that made a big impact and resulted in the assimilation of experimentalism: Marks of Identity by Juan Goytisolo; Last Evenings with Teresa by Juan Marsé; and Five Hours with Mario by Miguel Delibes.
- Among the novelists of the Generation of ’40: Delibes (Five Hours with Mario) and Cela (San Camilo 1936). The work of Torrente Ballester (La Saga/Fuga de J.B.) also stands out.
- Among the novelists of the fifties (“the mid-century generation”): Juan Goytisolo with Marks of Identity.
- In the sixties: Juan Benet (Volverás a Región and A Winter Trip); Juan Marsé (Last Evenings with Teresa, The Dark History of Cousin Montse, and If They Tell You I Fell) provided refreshing perspectives with excellent works.
- Seventies: Most realist narrators of the fifties evolved into experimental forms. As Juan Goytisolo, Benet, and Marsé did in the 1960s, many were incorporated into the new narrative forms in the seventies. For example, Ana María Matute, Carmen Martín Gaite, Jesús Fernández Santos, José Manuel Caballero Bonald, and Juan García Hortelano. With them, other narrators began to stand out at this time, especially Luis Goytisolo (The Wrath of Achilles and Theory of Knowledge) and Francisco Umbral (Mortal and Pink, Trilogy of Madrid).