Postwar Spanish Poetry: Generations, Themes, and Key Poets
Postwar Spanish Poetry: An Overview
Miguel Hernández
Miguel Hernández, due to his age, belongs to the Generation of ’36. However, his career and relationships with poets from the Generation of ’27 allow him to be considered a follower of this generation. His poetry is characterized by poetically addressing the issues of life, love, and death, and socio-political commitment, always with great passion. Formally, his work emphasizes the originality of its forms and mastery of traditional metrics, such as the sonnet. Among his most important works are:
- “El rayo que no cesa” (The Lightning That Never Stops), which has the theme of love as a tragic vitalism. It contains the elegy to Ramón Sijé.
- “Viento del pueblo” (Wind of the People), which is more socially engaged.
- “Cancionero y romancero de ausencias” (Songbook and Ballad Book of Absences), written in jail. These are simple and popular poems about love, freedom, and family.
To a newborn child, he writes “Nanas de la cebolla” (Onion Lullabies).
The 1940s
- Rooted Poetry
- Characterized by being anchored in the current situation.
- Withdraws from true reality to deal with themes such as family, landscape, and love.
- Uses traditional metrics like ballads or sonnets.
- Associated with magazines such as “Garcilaso” (symbols of the Spanish Empire).
- Garcilasoist Poets: Luis Rosales (“La casa encendida” – The Burning House), Leopoldo Panero, Luis Felipe Vivanco, and Dionisio Ridruejo.
- Uprooted Poetry
- Characterized by expressing discontent about the situation of the postwar period.
- The world is a mess; religion is controversial because God is cursing the chaos. This leads to despair, but there are also elements of solidarity with suffering.
- Formally has a conversational and sharp style, using free verse and versicle.
- Linked to the magazine “Espadaña.”
- Poets: Dámaso Alonso (“Hijos de la ira” – Children of Wrath), Ramón de Garciasol, Carlos Bousoño, and Eugenio de Nora.
Postismo
Postismo was a current heir to the avant-garde, especially related to Dadaism and Surrealism. It attaches importance to imagination and trivial issues. Some notable poets are:
- Carlos Edmundo de Ory
- Miguel Labordeta
- Juan Eduardo Cirlot
Cántico Group
This group had an intellectual and cultural orientation associated with modernism, the Generation of ’27, and the magazine “Cántico,” which gives them their name. Key members include:
- Pablo García Baena
- Ricardo Molina
The 1950s
Thematically, this period is characterized by the passage from the self to the social and collective “us.” The poet cannot remain neutral and indifferent but must be supportive and committed to exposing, within the limits of censorship, poverty, and misery.
Formally, this poetry uses aesthetic distance and immediate, even prosaic language. Poetry is seen as a means to transform society and reach the majority.
The main social poets are:
- Blas de Otero (“Pido la paz y la palabra” – I Ask for Peace and the Word)
- Gabriel Celaya (“Cantos Iberos” – Iberian Songs)
- José Hierro (“Con las piedras, con el viento…”As soon as my)
The main poets of uprooted poetry:
- Victoriano Crémer
- Eugenio de Nora
The 1960s
Thematically, this period features:
- Individualism and intimacy.
- Interest in the subjective, thoughts, and personal experiences.
- Everyday topics such as childhood, evocation of adolescence, friendship, and love.
- Humanism and social commitment, although not as politicized as in social poetry.
Poetry reveals to man all his human condition.
Formally, there’s a reaction to the prose of social poetry, with a return to a more dignified poetic language concerned with poetic elaboration.
The major poets are:
- Claudio Rodríguez (“Don de la ebriedad” – Gift of Drunkenness, or “Desde mis poemas” – From My Poems)
- Ángel González
- Jaime Gil de Biedma