Generation of ’27: Key Spanish Poets and Their Works
Dámaso Alonso
Life
Dámaso Alonso Fernández was born in Madrid on October 22, 1898. He studied law, philosophy, and letters. He connected with other poets of the Generation of ’27 at the Residencia de Estudiantes. He studied at the Center of Historical Studies in Madrid and contributed to various poetry magazines. He was a university professor of Spanish language and literature at various universities abroad, and later at the Universities of Valencia and Madrid. He joined the Royal Academy of Language, eventually becoming its director. He also contributed to the Academy of History. In 1977, he received the Cervantes Prize. In 1982, he was appointed Honorary Director. He died in Madrid in 1990 and was considered a leading critic of the Generation of ’27.
Work
- Believed the purpose of poetry was beauty, but also emotion.
- With Hijos de la ira (Children of Wrath), he revived realistic poetry in Spain.
- Incorporated diverse vocabulary into the language of poetry.
- Aimed to express the eternal human problems with poetic sincerity.
- Was a great innovator of poetic language, integrating reality into poetry itself.
- His most important work was Hijos de la ira (1944), a pioneering work in uprooted poetry.
Key Works
- Hijos de la ira (1946)
- Hombre y Dios (1955)
- Duda y amor sobre el Ser Supremo (1985)
Federico García Lorca
Life
Federico García Lorca, born in Fuente Vaqueros, Granada, in 1898, was a Spanish poet and playwright associated with the Generation of ’27. A highly influential 20th-century poet, he was a prominent playwright alongside Valle-Inclán and Buero Vallejo. Lorca’s affinity with the Popular Front and his open homosexuality led to his execution after the military uprising of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. His father, Federico García Rodríguez, was a landowner, and his mother, Vicenta Lorca, a schoolteacher, nurtured his literary interests. In 1908, he spent time in Almería, beginning high school and music studies. He studied philosophy, literature, and law at the University of Granada (1915), connecting with its intellectual circle. Between 1916 and 1917, he traveled throughout Spain, meeting Antonio Machado. At the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid (1919), he met Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí, José Moreno Villa, Emilio Prados, Pedro Salinas, and Pepín Bello. In 1928, he co-founded the magazine Gallo with Granadan intellectuals, though only two issues were published. He traveled to New York and Cuba in 1929. In 1931, he founded the university theater group La Barraca, aiming to bring theater to the people. He returned to Granada in 1936, where he was arrested and executed.
Work
Lorca’s universe is defined by a palpable systematism: poetry, drama, and prose are fueled by key stylistic obsessions and constants. The variety of forms and colors never contradicts this unity, whose central theme is frustration.
Poetry
- Libro de poemas
- Poema del cante jondo
- Canciones
- Romancero gitano
- Poeta en Nueva York
Theater
- El maleficio de la mariposa
- Mariana Pineda
- Bodas de sangre
Gerardo Diego
Life
Gerardo Diego was born on October 3, 1896, in Santander. A member of the Generation of ’27, he studied philosophy at the University of Deusto and later graduated from the University of Madrid. In 1920, he became a Professor of Language and Literature. He directed two important journals of the Generation of ’27: Lola and Carmen, and contributed to various avant-garde publications. In Toulouse, he met a French student, Germaine Marin, whom he later married. He then moved to Santander as a professor. In 1947, he joined the Royal Spanish Academy, and in 1956, he received the National Prize for Literature for “Paisaje con figuras.” He continued publishing, traveling, and receiving honors. In 1962, he received the Calderón de la Barca Prize, and in 1979, he shared the Cervantes Prize with Jorge Luis Borges. He died in Madrid in 1987 at age 91.
Work
Gerardo Diego masterfully combined traditional and avant-garde poetry.
Traditional Poetry
- Used traditional forms (romance, décima, sonnet).
- Explored varied themes: landscape, religion, music, bullfighting, love.
- Championed the sonnet: El ciprés de Silos (1924), Versos humanos (1925), and Alondra de verdad (1941).
Avant-Garde Poetry
- Embraced Creationism.
- Key works: Imagen (1922), Manual de espumas (1924), and Fábula de Equis y Zeda (1932).
Other Notable Works
- La luna en el desierto (1949)
- Biografía incompleta (1953)
- Amor solo (1965)
- El retorno del peregrino (1967)
- Los fundamentos del amor (1970)
- Versos divinos (1971)
Prose
- Reveals a lucid and insightful reader.
- His critical freedom is exemplary, always prioritizing the poetic voice.
Jorge Guillén
Life
Jorge Guillén, born in Valladolid in 1893, studied philosophy and literature in Madrid and graduated from Granada in 1913. He was a Spanish reader at the Sorbonne (1917-1923) and Professor of Spanish Language and Literature at Oxford. A member of the Generation of ’27, he was imprisoned during the Civil War and left Spain in 1938, settling in the United States. He taught at several American universities, notably Harvard. After Franco’s death, he returned to Spain in 1976 and won the Cervantes Prize. Considered the main representative of pure poetry in Spain, he died in Málaga in 1984.
Work
Guillén’s work, Aire nuestro, is conceived as a whole, encompassing his entire production organized into three books: Cántico (1928-1950), Clamor (1950-1963), and Homenaje (1967).
- Cántico (1928), a model of pure poetry, was expanded in later editions.
- Clamor introduces negative elements, a darker tone, and longer forms.
- Homenaje crowns the cycle, concluding one of the finest works of 20th-century European lyric poetry.
Style
- Stylization of reality, focusing on the essential.
- Elaborate and selective language, avoiding overt effects.
- Fluent in classical stanzas, especially décimas and sonnets.
- Celebrates the harmony of the universe and the individual’s integration within it.
- Exaltation of being and affirmation of life.
Luis Cernuda
Life
Luis Cernuda, born in Seville in 1902, was a student of Pedro Salinas. A supporter of the Republic, he went into exile in 1938, traveling to Great Britain, the United States, and finally Mexico, where he died in 1963. Loneliness, pain, and tenderness characterized his personality. His discontent and rebellion stemmed partly from his homosexuality and his awareness of being an outcast. His work contrasts his desire for personal fulfillment with the limitations imposed by the world.
Style and Themes
- Contrasts desire and reality.
- Key themes: loneliness, longing for a livable world, and love.
- Personal style, independent of trends.
- Early works show influences of pure poetry, classicism, and surrealism.
- From 1932: simpler style, closer to spoken language, rejecting strict rhythms, rhyme, and overly vivid language.
Poetry
- Reminiscent of Romantic poets in his passionate and eternally dissatisfied spirit.
- Central theme: loneliness, sadness, suffering, and misunderstanding.
- Laments the difficulty of achieving dreams.
- Criticizes institutions, moral norms, and traditional society.
- Simple yet elaborate conversational tone.
Key Works
- Perfil del aire (1927)
- Un río, un amor (1929)
- Los placeres prohibidos (1931)
- Donde habite el olvido (1934)
- La realidad y el deseo (1936-1964)
- Las nubes (1940)
- Ocnos (1941)
- Con las horas contadas (1950-1956)
- Variaciones sobre tema mexicano (1952)
- Poemas para un cuerpo (1957)
- Desolación de la quimera (1962)
Essays
- Estudios sobre poesía española contemporánea (1957)
- Pensamiento poético en la lírica inglesa (1958)
- Poesía y literatura I (1960)
- Poesía y literatura II (1964)
Miguel Hernández
Life
Miguel Hernández Gilabert (1910-1942) was a prominent Spanish poet and playwright of the 20th century, associated with the Generation of ’27. Born into a poor peasant family in Orihuela, he had limited formal education, working as a goatherd. He was largely self-taught, developing a deep interest in literature and studying classics like Garcilaso de la Vega, Luis de Góngora, Rubén Darío, and Antonio Machado, who influenced his poetry. He married Josefina Manresa, who inspired much of his work. They had two children, one of whom died in infancy. After serving in the Republican army during the Spanish Civil War, he was arrested, sentenced to death, and later died of tuberculosis in prison in Alicante.
Work
Hernández’s style and connection to the Generation of ’27 led to his being considered its youngest member. His writing began with contributions to the Catholic magazine El Gallo Crisis.
Key Works
- Perito en lunas (1933)
- Quien te ha visto y quien te ve y sombra de lo que eras: auto sacramental (1934)
- El rayo que no cesa (1936)
- Viento del pueblo. Poesía en la guerra (1937)
- El labrador más aire (1937)
- Teatro en la guerra (1937)
- El hombre acecha (1939)
- Cancionero y romancero de ausencias (1938-1941)
- Perito en lunas: his first published collection, showing Góngora’s influence. Demonstrates verbal dexterity and imagination, focusing on everyday objects.
- El rayo que no cesa: his masterpiece, exploring life, death, and love.
- Cancionero y romancero de ausencias: written in prison, expressing his sorrow at separation from his family using traditional Castilian folk poetry forms.
Rafael Alberti
Life
Rafael Alberti (1902-1999) was born in El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz. In 1917, he moved to Madrid, where he abandoned his formal education to copy paintings at the Prado Museum. Homesick for Cádiz and grieving his father’s death, he turned to poetry. He joined the Residencia de Estudiantes, connecting with writers of the Generation of ’27. He married writer María Teresa León in 1930, and they had a daughter, Aitana. They lived in exile in Buenos Aires and Rome. After León’s death, Alberti remarried María Asunción Mateo. Politically active, he supported the Popular Front during the Spanish Civil War and went into exile after its defeat. He founded the newspaper Octubre and met Stalin in Moscow. He participated in the evacuation of artwork from the Prado Museum. Upon returning to Spain, he lived in Cádiz, where the Fundación Rafael Alberti was established. In 1977, he was elected to the Congress of Deputies for the Communist Party of Spain. He died in Cádiz.
Work
- Marinero en tierra (1924): won the National Literature Prize.
- Sobre los ángeles (1929): a surrealist masterpiece.
- El hombre deshabitado (1931): his first play.
- Cal y canto (1927)
Alberti’s work synthesizes poetry and painting. His poetry is characterized by longing, particularly for his homeland, evident in works like El alba del alhelí, Marinero en tierra, and La amante. He emphasized popular traditional lyricism, conceiving poetry as a form of communication for life experiences. His social concerns led him to address contemporary Spanish realities.
Pedro Salinas
Life
Pedro Salinas Serrano (1891-1951) was a Spanish poet and essayist associated with the Generation of ’27. He studied law, philosophy, and letters, dedicating his life to university teaching. He began as a teaching assistant at the University of Paris and later as a reader at Cambridge. He married Margarita Bonmatí in 1915. In 1932, as secretary general of the International Summer University of Santander, he met Katherine Whitmore, who inspired his love trilogy. Upon discovering the affair, his wife attempted suicide, leading Whitmore to end the relationship.
Work
A poet of love, influenced by Garcilaso de la Vega and Bécquer, Salinas’s main theme was love, explored in three stages:
Initial Stage (1923-1932)
- Influenced by Juan Ramón Jiménez.
- Presagios (1923)
- Seguro azar (1929)
- Fábula y signo (1931)
Height (1933-1939): The Love Trilogy
- Inspired by Katherine Whitmore.
- La voz a ti debida (1933): a love story.
- Razón de amor (1936): examines love’s remnants after its end.
- Largo lamento (1939): continues the earlier works’ themes.
Exile (1940-1951)
- El contemplado (1946)
- Todo más claro y otros poemas (1949)
- Confianza (1955)
- Notable poem: “Cero”
Vicente Aleixandre
Life
Vicente Aleixandre (1898-1984) was born in Seville and spent his childhood in Málaga. At thirteen, he moved to Madrid for high school. In 1917, he met Dámaso Alonso, discovering Rubén Darío, Antonio Machado, and Juan Ramón Jiménez, sparking his passion for poetry. He studied law and taught commerce and trade law (1920-1922). A severe illness (tuberculous nephritis) in 1925 led him to begin writing poetry. His first poems were published in Revista de Occidente in 1926. He connected with Cernuda, Alberti, Aguirre, and García Lorca. He had a relationship with Andrés Acero, interrupted by Acero’s exile to Mexico after the Civil War. Aleixandre remained in Spain during the war. In 1934, he received the National Prize for Literature for La destrucción o el amor. He joined the Royal Spanish Academy in 1949. He won the Critics’ Award in 1963 for En un vasto dominio and in 1969 for Poemas de la consumación. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1977. He died in 1984.
Work
Aleixandre’s poetry is divided into several stages:
Pure Poetry
- Ámbito (1928): shows an interest in nature, influenced by Juan Ramón Jiménez.
Surrealist Poetry
- Espadas como labios (1932) and Pasión de la tierra (1935): incorporates surrealism into Spanish poetry.
Anthropocentric Poetry
- Post-war shift towards social concerns.
- Historia del corazón (1954) and En un vasto dominio (1962).
Poetry of Old Age
- Poemas de la consumación (1968) and Diálogos del conocimiento (1974): reflects on aging and death.
Other Works
Aleixandre also produced prose works, including Vida del poeta: amor y poesía (1950), Algunos caracteres de la nueva poesía española (1955), and Retratos con nombre (1965), a collection of writer portraits.