20th Century Spanish Literature: From Dictatorship to Democracy

Posted on Sep 18, 2024 in Latin

Spanish Literature in the 20th Century

The Dictatorial Regime (1936-1975)

After the Civil War (1939-1949)

Consequences of the war:

  • Strong repression of Republican supporters.
  • Suppression of basic rights.
  • Rigid censorship.
  • Complete break with previous literary trends.
  • Exile of many writers.
  • Existentialist angst and uprooting as prominent themes.

The 1950s

Spain opens up:

  • Cooperation agreement with the U.S.
  • Entry into the UN.

Consequences:

  • Critical attitude towards the oppressive environment.
  • Denunciation of injustice.
  • Desire for a better world.
  • Rise of social realism.

The 1960s

Economic expansion:

  • Growth of tourism.
  • Increased emigration and exports.
  • Timid liberalization of the regime.

Consequences:

  • Decline of social realism.
  • Influence of Latin American literature.
  • Search for new forms of expression.

Late 1970s

Transition to democracy:

  • First free elections.
  • Enactment of a new constitution.
  • Return of many exiles.
  • Establishment of democracy.

Consequences:

  • Experimentation in literature.
  • Emergence of diverse authors and trends.
  • Increase in women novelists.

The Novel of Exile

Themes:

  • Memory of Spain.
  • Causes and consequences of the Civil War.
  • Experiences in different environments.

Authors:

  • Ramón J. Sender (1901-1982): Recreates his childhood and youth in his novels.
  • Rosa Chacel (1898-1994): Characterized by her aesthetic concerns.
  • Max Aub (1903-1972): Combines traditional realism and avant-garde techniques. His most important work is The Magic Labyrinth.
  • Francisco Ayala (1906-2009): Master of short stories, also addressed the corruption of power and dictatorship in some novels.

Existential Anguish and Social Realism

Key Works:

  • The Family of Pascual Duarte (1942) by Camilo José Cela.
  • Nada (1945) by Carmen Laforet.

Social Realism:

  • Emerged due to censorship relaxation and the discovery of foreign novelists who used the novel as a tool for social critique.
  • Represented by the “mid-century generation” (Ignacio Aldecoa, Carmen Martín Gaite, Jesús Fernández Santos, Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio, Ana María Matute, Juan Goytisolo, Juan José García Hortelano, and Juan Marsé).
  • Emphasis on realism and objectivity.
  • Spanish society becomes the protagonist and the narrative focuses on social themes and groups.
  • Examples: The Hive (Camilo José Cela) and The Jarama (Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio).

The Experimental Narrative of the 1960s

Factors contributing to the change:

  • Influence of foreign novelists (Marcel Proust, Franz Kafka, James Joyce, and William Faulkner).
  • Discovery of the Latin American novel boom (Julio Cortázar, Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel García Márquez, and earlier generations like Jorge Luis Borges, Alejo Carpentier, and Juan Rulfo).

Authors:

  • Luis Martín-Santos: Incorporated European narrative innovations and the renewal of the Latin American narrative.
  • Miguel Delibes, Camilo José Cela, and Gonzalo Torrente Ballester: Continued their own paths while incorporating experimental elements.
  • Juan Goytisolo: Further developed his experimental style.
  • Juan Benet and Juan Marsé: Emerged as prominent experimental novelists.

Techniques:

  • Stream of consciousness: Reproduction of characters’ thoughts.
  • Shifting points of view: Narration can change from first to third person and sometimes even second person.
  • Irony and metafiction: Self-reflexive commentary on the narrative itself.
  • Disruption of traditional structure: Chapters replaced by sequences separated by blank spaces.

The Novel Between 1975 and 1990

Characteristics:

  • Return to a stronger emphasis on plot.
  • Recovery of the pleasure of storytelling.
  • Important contributions from women novelists like Esther Tusquets, Carmen Gómez Ojea, Soledad Puértolas, and Cristina Fernández Cubas.

Authors:

  • Luis Mateo Díez
  • Julio Llamazares
  • Manuel Longares
  • José María Merino
  • Manuel Vázquez Montalbán

The Spanish Novel Today (1990s-Present)

Established Authors:

  • Javier Marías
  • Antonio Muñoz Molina
  • Almudena Grandes
  • Luis Landero
  • Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Emerging Authors:

  • Lucía Etxebarria
  • Ray Loriga
  • José Ángel Mañas
  • Espido Freire

Themes:

  • Problems of a democratic society (drugs, alcohol, sects).
  • Exploration of memory.

Other Notable Authors:

  • Ignacio Martínez de Pisón
  • Bernardo Atxaga
  • Álvaro Pombo
  • Antonio Gala
  • Enrique Vila-Matas
  • Juan José Millás
  • Javier Cercas
  • Juan Manuel de Prada