The Generation of ’27: A Golden Age of Spanish Poetry

Posted on Sep 18, 2024 in Latin

Modernism

Distinguishing Features:

  • Search for musicality and artistic perfection.
  • Use of prose-verse and abundant rhetorical figures.
  • Full of sensuality and colorful descriptions.
  • Escapism.
  • Rebellion against bourgeois society.

Poetry:

Rubén Darío:

  • Musicality and preciousness.
  • Key works: Azul, Profane Prose, Songs of Life and Hope.

Juan Ramón Jiménez:

  • Search for absolute beauty.
  • Three stages in his work:
    • Modernist poetry: Gardens Far, Sad Arias.
    • Pure poetry: Diary of a Newly Married Poet.
    • Poetry of sufficient knowledge: Animal Background, God Desired and Desiring.

Manuel Machado:

  • Decadence and the influence of flamenco.
  • Key work: Soul, The Bad Poem.

Valle-Inclán:

  • Humor and mystery.
  • Key work: Lyrics.

Prose:

Rubén Darío:

  • Key work: Legends of Azul.

Ramón del Valle-Inclán:

  • Affairs, irony.
  • Key works: Sonatas and Tirano Banderas.

Theater:

Ramón del Valle-Inclán:

  • Mythical world, Galician environment.
  • Key work: Eagle Blasón.

Generation of ’98

Poetry:

Antonio Machado:

  • “Careful simplicity.”
  • Key works: Solitudes and Campos de Castilla.

Prose:

Miguel de Unamuno:

  • Key works: The Nivola, Niebla.

Azorín:

  • Mixture of novels and essays.
  • Key work: Castilla.

Pío Baroja:

  • The open novel.
  • Key works: The Tree of Knowledge and Zalacaín, the Adventurer.

Theater:

Ramón del Valle-Inclán:

  • Key works: The Scarecrow, Divinas Palabras and Luces de Bohemia.

Generation of ’27

The Generation of ’27 is considered one of the most important groups of poets in the history of 20th-century Spanish poetry. This group of writers emerged in the 1920s, rejecting the prevailing poetic trends and seeking to modernize Spanish poetry.

Concept:

The Generation of ’27 represents a synthesis between the main innovations of the European avant-garde and the poetic tradition of Spanish literature.

Origin of the Term:

The term “Generation of ’27” emerged from a cultural event held in 1927 to honor Luis de Góngora, a 17th-century Spanish poet whom they saw as an example of “art for art’s sake.”

Members:

Some of the most prominent members of the Generation of ’27 include:

  • Pedro Salinas
  • Jorge Guillén
  • Gerardo Diego
  • Dámaso Alonso
  • Vicente Aleixandre
  • Federico García Lorca
  • Rafael Alberti
  • Luis Cernuda

Cultural Context:

The Generation of ’27 emerged in a very favorable cultural context, influenced by several factors:

  1. Influence of the poetics of the previous generation (e.g., Juan Ramón Jiménez).
  2. Dissemination of European avant-garde movements in Spain.
  3. Coexistence in student residences and cultural centers, which allowed them to forge friendships and exchange ideas.
  4. Proliferation of literary magazines.

Influences:

The Generation of ’27 was influenced by a variety of literary movements and styles, including:

  • Pure poetry
  • Avant-garde movements (e.g., Surrealism, Futurism)
  • Baroque poetry
  • Folk poetry

One of the hallmarks of the Generation of ’27 was their ability to merge the new with the old, combining avant-garde experimentation with a deep respect for Spanish literary tradition.

Stages:

three periods: youth 1.etapa: humanizada/2.etapa pure poetry of poetry: politico/3.exilio Rehumanize and commitment during the frankismo