Spanish Poetry: Modernism, Generation of ’98, and Avant-Garde Movements
Spanish Poetry in the 20th Century
In the late nineteenth century, two significant movements emerged in Spanish poetry: Modernism and the Generation of ’98.
Modernism and its Pioneers
With Rubén Darío, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Antonio Machado, and Valle-Inclán, poetic endeavors began in the modernist style. However, each poet would later follow distinct paths.
Antonio Machado (1875-1939)
Machado, who defined poetry as “essential word in time,” initially explored sentimental romanticism in his work, Soledades. His lyricism focused on three central themes: time, death, and God. The concerns of the Generation of ’98 are evident in his poems from Campos de Castilla, his most important work, and Proverbios y Cantares, which reflected Machado’s anxieties. His brother, Manuel Machado, followed the path of Modernism. He may be the first to appreciate the lyrics of many Spanish classics, with her poem “Castilla” in a passage from “Song of the Cid.”
Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno, radically opposed to Modernism, is considered the “master” of the Generation of ’98. His poetry is characterized by spiritual concerns.
Ramón del Valle-Inclán
Ramón del Valle-Inclán later explored themes of esperpento, a grotesque style, along modernist lines.
The Generation of 1914
The Generation of 1914 included members of the Generation of ’98 and ’97, sharing common features such as abandoning sentimentality in favor of classical serenity. They moved away from passionate tones, creating literature for intellectual “minorities” with the ultimate goal of pure art.
Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958)
Within this generation, Juan Ramón Jiménez stands out. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1956. For Jiménez, poetry represented beauty, knowledge, and the ambition of eternity. He initiated a new golden age in lyric poetry, transitioning from a “pure poetry” reminiscent of Modernism to themes of sadness and solitude. Later, he embraced a “naked” poetry of short poems, culminating in the avant-garde prose of Jeweler and I, a term of poetics.
Avant-Garde Movements
The term designates movements such as Futurism, Dadaism, and Surrealism that emerged in the early 20th century. Cubism triumphed in 1907 with Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. In 1919, Futurism was published in the journal Prometeo. Surrealism became the most prominent avant-garde movement. The only Spanish surrealist poet was John Larrea. In Spanish Surrealism, imagery was unleashed beyond the limits of logical expression, enriching poetic language. The poetry of the Generation of ’27 also stands out, including García Lorca’s Poet in New York and Rafael Alberti’s About Angels.
Evolution of Poetry
The evolution of some poets can be summarized in three stages:
- The first stage begins with a pure poetry reminiscent of Juan Ramón Jiménez.
- The second stage tends to humanize poetry, expressing human feelings such as love and existential questions.
- The last stage presents “social” literature, exemplified by Neruda’s “unclean” poetry.
Postwar Poetry
Postwar poetry encompasses two distinct styles: rooted poetry and uprooted poetry. Rooted poetry expresses happiness with life and the world, viewing their world as perfect and possessing a strong religious sense. Examples include Louise Roses and Dionisio Ridruejo. In contrast, uprooted poetry expresses unhappiness with the world, finding it sordid and painful. Its style, often direct and compared to that of Garcilaso, is found in the works of Alonso, Blas de Otero, and Gabriel Celaya.