Spanish Novelists of the Early 20th Century

Posted on Feb 9, 2025 in English Studies

Early 20th Century Spanish Novelists

The lyrical, romantic innovations of the early twentieth century resulted from a pessimistic view of Western culture at the time, where individuals struggled to find meaning in existence. The message was one of frustration and despair. The main innovations in the novel included:

  1. Missed Calls: Attention to the problem of history.
  2. Centralization in the hero.
  3. Momentariness and fragmentation of major players.
  4. Dramatization.

Pío Baroja

Pío Baroja defended the novel as a possibility open to all and proclaimed the absolute freedom of the writer’s design. For Baroja, the novel is a genre that fits all. His novelistic production can be divided into two stages:

  1. From the beginning until 1912: Variety of themes, including his best creations: *Camino de Perfección* (*Path to Perfection*) and *El Árbol de la Ciencia* (*The Tree of Science*).
  2. Diverse settings, exotic ingredients, predominance of historical narrative, ironic perspective: *Memorias de un Hombre de Acción* (*Memories of a Man of Action*), *Las Sirenas de Laberinto* (*The Sirens of the Labyrinth*).

Camino de Perfección, published in 1902, is structured around the protagonist, Fernando Ossorio, who oscillates between periods of suffering and states of apathy. He takes a journey in which he evolves and reaches fullness. The trilogy *La Lucha por la Vida* (*The Struggle for Life*) consists of *La Busca*, *Mala Hierba*, and *Aurora Roja*. It offers a true reflection of Madrid society at the beginning of the century and narrates the struggle from the bottom up, from outsiders to enter society. *El Árbol de la Ciencia* reflects the moral despair and disorientation of Spain during that era. It narrates the life of Andrés Hurtado until his suicide and possesses an unrelenting pessimism. It is divided into seven parts. *Memorias de un Hombre de Acción* is a historical narrative series composed of 22 works, united by the biography of Eugenio de Aviraneta.

Miguel de Unamuno

Another prominent author is Miguel de Unamuno, whose novel became an ideal means of interpreting reality and expressing his obsessions: the affirmation of personality, fighting instinct, the desire to dominate others, and, above all, death. Unamuno’s novels focus on the inner conflicts of the characters, generated by strict, interlocking family dynamics. *Niebla* (*Mist*), subtitled “nivola” and published in 1914, introduced Augusto Pérez to combat determinism. *San Manuel Bueno, Mártir*, published in 1930, tells of the loss of faith of Don Manuel Bueno, who substitutes his lack of faith with established texts he can hardly believe.

Azorín

Azorín’s novels can be regarded as breaking with the 19th-century conception of the novel. In Azorín’s production, there was an in-depth analysis of perception. *La Voluntad* (*The Will*) (1902) is an impressionistic novel where the protagonist, Azorín, is passive, contemplative, and pessimistic. *Doña Inés* (1925) includes descriptions of the environment and the sensitivity of the characters.

Ramón del Valle-Inclán

Valle-Inclán’s work rejects all traditional realism. Progressively, he introduced innovations in fictional technique, culminating in his highest setting, the *esperpento*. The *Sonatas* (*Sonata de Otoño*, *Sonata de Estío*, *Sonata de Primavera*, *Sonata de Invierno*) represent an allegory of human life. The Marquis de Bradomín is described as an “ugly, Catholic, and sentimental” Don Juan. *La Guerra Carlista* (*The Carlist War*) provides a vision of traditional Spain facing the liberal goal.

Ramón Pérez de Ayala

Ramón Pérez de Ayala focused on the individual’s moral change. He created an experimental novel, particularly concerned with the issue of consciousness, including aspects of the unconscious and subconscious. His tetralogy consists of *Tinieblas en las Cumbres* (*Darkness at the Summits*), *A.M.D.G.*, *La Pata de la Raposa* (*The Fox’s Paw*), and *Troteras y Danzaderas*. *Belarmino y Apolonio* (1921) explores the idea of harmony, initially seen as an ordering principle.

Gabriel Miró

Gabriel Miró created a powerful novel of lyricism. Although lacking in action, his novels are full of raw emotion; the facts are diluted to produce prints of text. *Las Cerezas del Cementerio* (*The Cherries of the Cemetery*) (1910) contains decadent elements, with its hymn to beauty and sensibility.

Ramón Gómez de la Serna

Ramón Gómez de la Serna’s novels attach importance to prohibited content (carnal imperatives). *La Viuda Blanca y Negra* (*The Black and White Widow*) (1918) is a prime example.

Benjamín Jarnés

Benjamín Jarnés’s works revolve around a single character and an ideology of freedom.