Miguel Hernández, Delibes, and Lorca: A Literary Journey
Miguel Hernández (1910-1942)
Miguel Hernández, born in Orihuela in 1910, was largely self-taught. His father discouraged his literary pursuits, preventing him from reading Garcilaso and Calderón. However, he immersed himself in the works of modern classics like Machado and Rubén Darío. His love poetry was influenced by Bécquer, but it was Lorca who had the most profound impact on him.
He fell in love with Josefina Manresa. A trip to Madrid proved unsuccessful in gaining recognition for his poetry in 1933. He returned in 1935. In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, he became a Republican, and his poetry shifted to encourage the soldiers. He was imprisoned in 1939 while attempting to flee to Portugal. Suffering from tuberculosis, he was moved from a prison in Palencia to Alicante, where he died in 1942 at the age of 32.
Stages of His Writing:
- First Stage: Perito en lunas (Expert on Moons) and El silbo vulnerado (The Wounded Whistle).
- Second Stage: El rayo que no cesa (The Unending Lightning), Viento del pueblo (Wind of the People), and El hombre acecha (Man Stalks).
- Third Stage: Cancionero y romancero de ausencias (Songbook and Ballad Book of Absences).
Nature and Symbolism:
Hernández wrote extensively about nature, seeking release and solace in it. His early poetry is predominantly pastoral, influenced by Garcilaso, with prominent use of blue and yellow. Key images and symbols relate to his life and poetry:
- Penalty: Absence of God (Perito en lunas, El silbo vulnerado), absence of a beloved (El rayo que no cesa), absence of freedom (Viento del pueblo, Cancionero).
- Lightning: Represents the poet in constant struggle.
- Bull: The poet identifies with the bull.
- Lions: Symbolize the country and its people.
- Kings: Represent tradition.
Tradition and Avant-garde: Until 1934, his poetry was regional, exalting his homeland through self-taught methods.
Delibes
1940s: Existentialist novels reflecting a nihilistic post-war life. La sombra del ciprés es alargada (The Cypress’s Shadow is Long) is pessimistic.
1950s: Novels reflect the social inequalities of Spain, with 70% living in poverty. Los bravos (The Braves) by Fernando Santos.
1960s: Cinco horas con Mario (Five Hours with Mario). 25 años de paz (25 Years of Peace) is a structural decay novel, an experimental new type with interior monologue. San Camilo, 1936.
1970s: A-realistic, historical fiction. Explores the weariness of identity, similar to Goitisolo.
1980s: Two types of novels: traditional and experimental. Los santos inocentes (The Holy Innocents).
Los Santos Inocentes (The Holy Innocents):
Written between the 1960s and 1980s, this novel denounces the injustices of rural life, exalts nature, and depicts the rural exodus. Quirce represents the last two books, which differ significantly.
Space and Time: The external setting is outside of reality and imprecise, a characteristic reminiscent of Cervantes. The internal setting is realistic, while the external context refers to events around 1965, such as the Vatican Council and the “25 Years of Peace,” making it non-chronological. Each book presents a different time, with time dilated in the later books.
Social Differences: The novel portrays the extreme classes of the rich and powerful versus the poor and subjugated, highlighting injustice. It emphasizes Christian conscience and the commandment to love one another. Society is stratified, making it impossible for the poor to escape their circumstances. Barriers include:
- Cultural: The poor are denied education.
- Religious: The poor cannot receive communion.
- Lifestyle: The rich do not live off their work, while the poor have no holidays.
- Property: The rich own land, while the poor own cars and have nothing.
Major and Minor Themes: Social injustice in a pyramidal, medieval society. Don Pedro is the intermediate figure, and Iván represents the tip. Rebellion is manifested in the last book. Nature is treated like another character, respected by the humble but exploited by the rich, who kill everything. The novel describes the nature of Valladolid. Subtopics include progress, technological backwardness of the countryside, and ecology, presented imprecisely, like in *Don Quixote*.
Lorca (Before 1936)
Political Instability: Lorca’s work emerged during a time of political instability. His theater reflected artistic and political changes, blending romantic urgency with realism. He gained fame with *Romancero Gitano* (Gypsy Ballads) in 1929. After traveling to New York, he returned to Spain and shifted his focus to tragedies. *La casa de Bernarda Alba* (The House of Bernarda Alba) is prescient, representing Spain. *Bodas de sangre* (Blood Wedding) is also a rural drama about women.
Major and Minor Themes: Reality versus desire, repression, rebellion, tradition versus modernity. The moral clash generates the tragedy of Bernarda’s life. Catholic moral authority clashes with the social reality of the 1930s. Bernarda represents natural law and free will, seeking total control over her daughters.
Space: The external space is represented by the church. Only the reapers are heard, and forgetting is emphasized. The internal space, the house, functions as another character, producing claustrophobia, confrontations, and contempt. Everyone wants to escape, including Bernarda.