Literary Movements in Spain and Latin America (1950-1970s)
Spanish Poetry in the 1960s: The Renewal
The poetic language of Renovación is regarded as an end in itself, not merely as a means of transmisión of an ideological message, unlike social poetry.
Key authors include: Claudio Rodríguez and Jaime Gil de Viedma.
The Poetry of the Last Things (Novísimos)
In 1970, José María Castellet published an anthology of Nueve novísimos poetas españoles (Spanish Novísimos), which introduced young poets such as Pere Gimferrer and Leopoldo María Panero.
The work of the Novísimos includes allusions to movies, comics, and other realities beyond poetry up until that moment. This trend is known as Culturalismo, represented by Antonio Colinas and Guillermo Carnero.
Spanish Theater in the 1950s and 1960s
Theater, due to its nature as a mass performance genre, was the most heavily guarded by censorship during the Franquismo (Franco regime). Three types of theater coexisted:
- The Minority Existential Drama: Starring characters tormented by anxiety, loneliness, and lack of comunicación. Key author: Antonio Buero Vallejo (e.g., Historia de una escalera [Story of a Ladder]).
- The Delusional Mood (Modern Literature): Focused on humor and absurdity. Key authors: Enrique Jardiel Poncela and Miguel Mihura.
- Theater of Social Criticism (Mid-1950s): Focused on societal issues. Key author: Antonio Buero Vallejo (e.g., Un soñador para un pueblo [A Dreamer for a Village]).
Theater in the 1970s: Experimentalism
The seventies saw the rise of experimental theater, which encouraged public participation and paid attention not only to the dramatic text but also to the body expression of the actors, music, and light, viewing theater as a total entertainment experience.
Notable groups and authors: Els Joglars and Fernando Arrabal. Francisco Nieto is also mentioned.
Buero Vallejo also incorpora aspects of experimental theater in works like El tragaluz (The Skylight).
Contemporary Spanish Theater
The arrival of democracy eliminated censorship in the theater. In recent years, a trend toward Realism has reappeared.
Representatives include: Fernando Fernán Gómez and José Luis Alfonso Santos.
The Latin American Novel in the 20th Century
- Early 20th Century (First 30 years): Dominated by a realistic novel that introduced the American countryside as part of a grandiose, savage nature.
- The Forties: Renovation and Magical Realism: A major renovation of the novel took place, breaking with the realism of the previous era. Different trends emerged, notably Magical Realism.
- Standouts: El Señor Presidente by Miguel Ángel Asturias, El Reino de Este Mundo by Alejo Carpentier, and Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo.
- The 1960s: The Boom in Latin American Narrative: New novelists continued the innovations of the previous stage, enriching the novel with new resources.
- Key Works/Authors: La muerte de Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes, Rayuela by Julio Cortázar, La ciudad y los perros by Mario Vargas Llosa, Paradiso by José Lezama Lima, Tres tristes tigres by Guillermo Cabrera Infante, and Cien años de soledad by Gabriel García Márquez.
- Post-Boom Authors: Alfredo Bryce Echenique, Ricardo Piglia, Isabel Allende, Roberto Bolaño, Reinaldo Arenas, and Ángeles Mastretta.
The Short Story (El Cuento)
The short story has been successfully cultivated by the most important Hispanic narrators.
The first major writer of short stories was Horacio Quiroga. Later masters include Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, and Juan Rulfo.