Galician Literature in Exile (1936-1976): Poetry, Prose, and Drama
The outbreak of the Civil War in Galicia ushered in a period of harsh political repression, forcing many Galician intellectuals into exile. During the early years of the dictatorship, Galician literature found refuge in America, where a vibrant cultural scene already existed within the emigrant community.
The Role of Emigrants and Exiles
These individuals established literary magazines like Mail, Galicia Emigrante, and nurseries, along with choirs, theater companies such as the Orfeon Online Company Buxán Varela, and radio programs like recalling and Galicia Galicia Emigrante.
Three Stages of Exile Literature
- 1939-1950: Galicia remained silent, with Galician publications only emerging in Latin America.
- 1950-1960: Publishing resumed in Galicia, while works banned by censors found an audience in Spanish America. Writers from both sides of the Atlantic collaborated in magazines published in Galicia and America.
- 1960-1975: Culture gradually returned to normalcy in Galicia, and works by exiled authors began to be published by Galician publishers. Surviving exiles started returning individually.
The Poetry of Exile
Emilio Pita
Born in La Coruña, Pita emigrated to Argentina as a child and resided there permanently, with brief stays in Montevideo. His works include the poetry book Jacobusland, which portrays the tragedy of the Galician Civil War amidst a nostalgic view of Galician nature. Other notable works include Cantigas of children, I repeat, The ballads, and St. The trail verdegal. His poetry is characterized by musicality, natural elements, and a recurring vocabulary. Pita can be considered a precursor to engaged poetry, demonstrating a concern for maintaining poetic values.
Luís Seoane
Born in Argentina, Seoane moved to Galicia with his family at the age of ten. He studied law in Santiago, where he developed his artistic talents and leftist Galician ideology. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he fled to Buenos Aires and engaged in intense cultural activities. Upon returning to Galicia, he co-founded the Laboratory of Methods of Sargadelos with Isaac Díaz Pardo. His works include the eisiliado Fardel, In the mist, Sant-lake, and the scars But it is. Seoane’s poetry is marked by a strong ethical commitment to the social and human reality of Galicia, the diaspora, and Galician history. The theme of emigration is particularly prominent in the eisiliado Fardel and Most abondamentos, offering a dignified portrayal of Galicians forced to leave their homeland. In The Mist and Sant-lake, he explores historical themes while maintaining his social commitment, focusing on the plight of the poor in Galician history.
Lorenzo Varela
The son of emigrants, Varela spent his youth in Cuba before returning to Galicia with his mother. He attended high school in Lugo, where he participated in the founding of the Young Galician. He later studied Philosophy and Letters in Madrid. After the Civil War, he embarked on a path of exile, living in France, Mexico, and Argentina. In Buenos Aires, he collaborated closely with Luís Seoane. He returned to Galicia in 1976. Varela’s works include Four poems for four prints and Away. The former evokes four historical figures as examples of dignity and struggle, while the latter, his most significant work, is deeply influenced by his personal experience of exile. It combines sensory richness with social realism and denunciation of oppression.
The Narrative in Exile
Some autobiographical novels of this period were criticized for being excessively realistic. This is understandable, as the novel was the genre best suited to revealing the sociological background and reality of the time.
Ramon Valenzuela
Before the Civil War, Valenzuela was a teacher, employee of the Seminary of Galician Studies, and member of the Galician party. After the war, he was imprisoned in a concentration camp and later handed over to the Francoist authorities. He was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted, and he managed to escape to Argentina in 1949. There, he engaged in extensive cultural activities before returning to Galicia in 1966. His works include I did not wait for anyone and it was time to naranxo apandar. His writing is characterized by its autobiographical nature, with action taking precedence over description. He also employs techniques of oral storytelling and portrays characters with great accuracy and authenticity. I did not wait for anyone, resembling an undated diary, introduces the theme of the Civil War in Galician literature, following a republican fleeing repression after the 1936 military uprising. His second novel, it was time to naranxo apandar, continues the story in the post-Civil War period, with the protagonist, a Galician militant, exiled in France and returned to Francoist Spain by the Gestapo during World War II.
Silvio Santiago
A self-taught journalist and writer, Santiago participated in the founding of the Unionist Party in Corunna. Due to the Civil War, he fled to Portugal, then to Cuba, and finally to Venezuela. During his time in Venezuela, he founded the Center Gelguista, several magazines, and the radio program “Hour of Galicia,” and collaborated with various newspapers. He returned to Galicia in the 1960s. His works include Villardevós and The Silence redeemed. Santiago’s works also exhibit a clear autobiographical tone. In Villardevós, he creates a rich tapestry of characters and stories from the town of the same name, offering an ironic perspective on the lost world of his childhood. The Silence redeemed delves into the bitter experience of war, his arrest, and subsequent escape.
Theatre in Exile
Theatre, with its inherent social character, suffered more than any other genre under the censorship and repression of the Franco regime during the postwar period. Only in the realm of emigration and exile did American authors and companies manage to keep Galician theatre alive. The work of the Company Maruja Villanueva in Buenos Aires, founded and directed by Manuel Varela Buxán, deserves special mention.
Notable playwrights of this period include:
- Ricardo Flores Peres: four prints of the sea
- Manuel D. Ferreira Varela Buxán: Satan’s Tavern and ownerless
- Eduardo Blanco Amor: Farces for puppets
- Luís Seoane: soldadeira
- Ramon Valenzuela: tears of fear
- Isaac Díaz Pardo: Midas and the angle of stone
Manuel Varela Buxán
Buxán emigrated to Argentina at a young age, where he engaged in extensive cultural work. His passion for theatre led him to establish the Company Maruja Villanueva, along with Maruja Villanueva and Fernando Iglesias Tacholas. He later returned to Galicia, where he published his plays in three volumes. His works include The Ferreira de Satan; Tavern ownerless, the justice of a miller, to know … not come home and the blind Fornelos and other comedies. Buxán wrote around thirty plays, characterized by their direct, popular style, blending comedy and sentimentality while also addressing social issues in Galicia. His rural comedies enjoyed great success among the Galician community.
Luís Seoane
Seoane, whose lyrical biography has already been discussed, is also known for his play The soldadeira. Originally written in Galician and later translated into Spanish, the play was published by Seoane in 1957. This historical drama recreates Galicia’s past and present problems, similar to how Cabanillas did in Marshal. It draws inspiration from the Irmandinhas rebellions of the 15th century and serves as a parable of oppression and the struggle for Galician consciousness.