Postwar Spanish Narrative: From the 60s to Renewal
The Postwar Spanish Narrative from the Late 1960s
I. The Story of the 80s
The Spanish Civil War marked a significant rupture in the country’s cultural life. The prevailing political conditions heavily influenced literary production, particularly in the realm of narrative. Several factors contributed to this:
- The establishment of strict censorship.
- Self-censorship practiced by many writers to avoid having their novels banned.
- The prohibition of Spanish and foreign authors, which prevented young novelists from accessing influential models.
Creative exhaustion, the death of established narrators, and the exile of a generation of young writers further contributed to the breakdown of the pre-Civil War narrative tradition.
The Spanish novel of this period is characterized by its use of realistic techniques and an absence of formal innovation. Pessimism prevails, reflecting the poverty and harsh living conditions of the time. Common themes include loneliness, frustration, and death. Characters are often marginalized, disoriented, and distressed.
Two important dates stand out: 1942, marked by the publication of The Family of Pascual Duarte by Camilo José Cela, which introduced a stark realism characterized by the unflinching portrayal of unpleasant aspects of reality. The novel is a first-person account of a man’s life leading up to his execution. The second date is 1945, which saw the publication of Nada by Carmen Laforet, a 23-year-old writer who depicted the experiences of a young woman studying in Barcelona and grappling with a sense of familial and emotional emptiness.
Years later, other prominent authors emerged, including Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, Miguel Delibes, and Juan Goytisolo. Torrente Ballester, born in Ferrol in 1910, published works such as Javier Mariño and The Saga/Fugue of J.B., which blended reality and fiction. Miguel Delibes gained recognition for novels like The Shadow of the Cypress is Long and It’s Still Day, pessimistic narratives that are not considered among his best works. Delibes’s novels can be broadly categorized into two groups:
1) Novels of the Rural Environment:
This category begins with The Road, which portrays the transition from childhood to adolescence for three children living in a Castilian village. Other notable works include Rats, a social critique, and The Holy Innocents, which also offers a critical perspective. All of these novels express a deep appreciation for rural life.
2) Novels of the Urban Environment:
These novels are set in provincial capitals like Valladolid and feature characters from the bourgeoisie. Highlights include Five Hours with Mario, Red Time, The Lord Was Disputed a Vote, and My Adored Son Sisi.
A defining characteristic of Delibes’s writing is his mastery of language, which is rich, precise, and evocative.
II. Camilo José Cela
Born near La Coruña in 1916, Camilo José Cela is considered one of the most important Spanish novelists. His provocative persona and often acerbic and pessimistic worldview should not overshadow his significant contribution to 20th-century Spanish literature. He debuted with The Family of Pascual Duarte and went on to publish works such as The Hive, San Camilo 1936, and Mazurka for Two Dead. Cela’s writing is characterized by a pervasive pessimism and bitterness.
The Hive, first published in Argentina in 1951, is a complex novel that Cela himself described as a “novel-clock.” It consists of six chapters and a final section, each chapter comprising several blocks. Each sequence focuses on a different character, and the sum of these sequences forms the cells of the hive. The book lacks a conventional plot, instead presenting a mosaic of scenes involving various characters. It features individual characters but ultimately portrays a collective experience. The powerful abuse the weak, and the setting is Madrid over two days in winter. The chapters are arranged in a non-chronological order: I, II, IV, VI, III, V, and Final. It is an open-ended book with no defined plot or resolution.
III. The Narrative of Exile
: Many important novelists were exiled and had to adapt to new living conditions. Among the exiles narrators distinguish 2 groups: 1) formed by those with an established work before leaving Spain. 2) Comprised of those who became known as storytellers in exile. IV. SPANISH NOVEL OF THE 50: talking about the generation of 50, are writers born between 1925 and 1935. have the following features: * We have fought in the Civil War but suffer the consequences of the war which is the main theme of his works. * Most foreign travels and contacts with the currents of the time. * Use art. * Try to fundamental issues such as hunger, loneliness, humiliation … * Other authors claim the social behavior of the classes to influence and transform reality. Ferlosio Rafael Sánchez, “El Jarama” award Nadal with a plot very simple: spend Madrid hikers a picnic next to Jarama and final girl drowns. Ignacio Aldecoa: Author of short stories, which are fragments, sequences of life. Try wide variety of topics and are grouped into those who loved portraying people with marginal or lowly occupations. and that reflect the life of the middle classes and the bourgeoisie. V. NOVEL OF THE YEAR 60, RENOVATION the narrative: The characteristics of this novel are: * The authors try to show .* Formal care and concern for New techniques .* style narratives. * The structure of the works is more complex. * Many novelists introduce humor and self-criticism.
In the 60 emerging authors who renewed the novel, such as Luis Martin Santos, Juan Marse with “late evenings with Teresa” and Juan Benet with “return to region.” VI. MARTIN LUIS SANTOS: TIME OF SILENCE: The plot of the play is simple and traditional. The novel presents as the first new language and has a sour and pessimistic vision of the world it portrays. This view is divided into 3 levels:
* Trouble existential novel protagonist. Peter the researcher is saddened by the lack of social consideration received by scientists like, hate the rich but sometimes the poor. It is a contradictory character, complex ..
* Social Critique: The book focuses on the misery in which people live in society. The protagonist is a victim of social circumstance.
* National Question: The book emphasizes the age-old backwardness of Spain in the factors that impede the development