Spanish Lyric Poetry Movements: 1898 to 1939

Posted on Jan 7, 2026 in Latin

Lyric Poetry in Early 20th Century Spain

Since the early twentieth century, literature, and particularly lyric poetry, suffered a series of changes due to significant historical circumstances. These included:

  • The Disaster of ’98, where Spain lost Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
  • A shift from Rural Spain, marked by a drift toward the cities.
  • Limited industrialization (except in the Basque Country and Catalonia).
  • The defeat at Annual, contributing to a pervasive decadent spirit.

From these historical circumstances arose a series of literary movements:

Modernism

Modernism emerged in Latin America, pioneered by Rubén Darío, and later arrived in Spain. It is characterized by:

  • Lyricism and subjectivity.
  • Interest in sensations and sensory search.
  • The pursuit of sound effects and musicality.
  • The use of ornamental adjectives, striking images, and synesthesia.
  • A taste for exotic words.
  • Metrical innovations aimed at achieving new rhythms.

Important authors include Manuel Machado, who blended Modernist elements with local themes (works include Alma and Cante Hondo), Antonio Machado, and Juan Ramón Jiménez (with works like Arias Tristes and Jardines distantes).

Generation of ’98

This movement also features strong lyricism and subjectivity. Its key authors are:

  • Miguel de Unamuno: His lyric poetry shares traits with his prose work, addressing Castilian landscape, philosophical problems, existential conflicts, and political issues. He frequently used sonnets and ballads. Works include The Christ of Velázquez and Poetry of Fuerteventura to Paris.
  • Ramón del Valle-Inclán: Known for his work Aromas de leyenda.
  • Antonio Machado:
    • He first published the Modernist collection Soledades, which was later expanded and refined into Soledades, Galerías y Otros Poemas (1907). Themes here are universal (time, death, God) and utilize symbolism (the path, water, galleries) in an intimate tone.
    • In Campos de Castilla (1912), he became less subjective and symbolist. The central theme is the Castilian landscape, its people, and the nation’s decline, though it also contains poems of nostalgia written after his wife’s death.
    • Later, he published concise and essential works such as Nuevas canciones, Cancionero, and Poemas de guerra a Guiomar.

Novecento (Generation of 1914)

This group of authors sought aesthetic renewal, pursuing the ideal of pure art and a dehumanized aesthetic pleasure aimed at finding the essence of things. The most prominent author is Juan Ramón Jiménez, whose poetic work is divided into three stages:

Sensitive Stage (Up to 1915)

Characterized by neo-romanticism and melancholy. Works include Almas de violeta, Jardines distantes (intimate and symbolist Modernism), Elegías, Hojas verdes, and La soledad sonora (written in Moguer, adorned with Modernist elements).

Intellectual Stage (1916–1936)

This stage begins with Diario de un poeta recién casado (1917), written during his boat trip to New York. This work incorporates important avant-garde elements: free verse, prose poems, poetry of feeling, collage, and chaotic enumerations, all seeking the essence of pure poetry. Other works include Eternidades, Piedra y cielo, Poesía, Belleza, and Estación total. The poetry of this stage serves as a form of knowledge to reach the essence of things and expresses the poet’s longing for eternity.

Sufficient or True Stage (Post-1936)

Marked by the poet’s exile. Public works include En el otro costado, where he outlines the long poem “Space” (a reflection on his life), and Dios deseado y deseante.

Vanguards

The Vanguards were introduced in Spain primarily through the efforts of Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Vicente Huidobro, and Juan Correa.

Generation of ’27

The members of the Generation of ’27 gathered around the Residencia de Estudiantes and various literary journals. The movement is formally established by the homage paid to Góngora at the Ateneo de Sevilla in 1927 and the anthology published by Gerardo Diego.

The Generation of ’27 sought balance between:

  • New forms and traditions.
  • Hermeticism and clarity.
  • Cultured and popular roots.
  • Foreign and national influences.
  • Poetic inspiration and technical skill.

In metrics, they combined traditional forms with new ones (such as blank verse) and made original use of metaphor.

Poetic Phases of the Generation of ’27

  1. Up to 1927: Dominated by the influence of Juan Ramón Jiménez and the concept of pure poetry, Ortega y Gasset’s ideas of dehumanization, and avant-garde art. There was a growing admiration for Góngora and the use of metaphor.
  2. Up to the Civil War: Due to the social and political situation and the influence of Surrealism, a process of re-humanization began. The influence of Juan Ramón Jiménez was gradually replaced by that of Pablo Neruda.