20th-Century Galician Literature: Narrative Renewal and Generations

The Narrative of the 1960s

Writers already established in the previous decade continued their work, such as Álvaro Cunqueiro, Eduardo Blanco Amor, and Ánxel Fole.

• A realistic narrative theme, centered on rural life, was developed by authors like José Neira Vilas.
• A new group of writers emerged with the Nova Narrativa Galega (New Galician Narrative).

The New Galician Narrative

This group of writers, who published their works in the late 1950s and 1960s, renewed and updated the narrative genre by introducing new themes and techniques.

Key Thematic Developments

• The presence of anonymous, marginalized, uprooted, disoriented, violent, and unbalanced characters, often immersed in pathological states.
• Exploration of the subconscious world.
• Expression of the absurdity of existence.
• Settings in sordid and claustrophobic urban environments.
• A departure from specific, localized narrative settings.

Major Technical Innovations

• Alternation of temporal planes, with constant flashbacks and flash-forwards.
• Use of a plurality of narrative voices.
• Prevalence of the interior monologue or stream of consciousness.

Key authors include Gonzalo Rodríguez Mourullo, X. L. Méndez Ferrín, and Carlos Casares.

Common Features of the Authors

• Most had a university education.
• They were influenced by the same contemporary writers and literary movements.
• A commitment to writing monolingually in Galician.
• Their political commitment was manifested through participation in active, left-wing Galician nationalism.

Literary Generations of the Mid-20th Century

The Generation of '36

This generation is formed by writers born between 1910 and 1920. Many had already published before the Civil War, but their most significant texts appeared afterward. Notable members include Celso Emilio Ferreiro, Álvaro Cunqueiro, and Xosé María Díaz Castro.

The 'Enlace' Promotion

Composed of poets born between 1920 and 1930, this was not a homogeneous generation but rather a collection of individuals united by circumstance. They typically began writing in Spanish, went through a bilingual phase, and ended up writing in Galician. Examples include Luz Pozo Garza and Antón Tovar.

The Generation of the 'Festas Minervais'

This group consists of writers born between 1930 and 1940 who share several generational characteristics:

• Most had a university education and participated in the Festas Minervais (literary contests) during their university years.
• They were monolingual Galician writers.
• Aware of the lack of freedom under the dictatorship, they maintained an active political engagement.

Key figures include X. L. Méndez Ferrín and Uxío Novoneyra.