Antonio Machado and Miguel de Unamuno: Key Works and Lives

Antonio Machado — Born 1875 in Seville

Antonio Machado was born in Seville in 1875. His work is traditionally divided into two main stages.

Modern Stage: Soledades and 1907 Collection

The modern stage includes two early books published by Machado: Soledades (1903) and Soledades, galerías y otros poemas (1907). These works belong to the orbit of modernism and symbolism. The poetry has an intimate tone, formally elaborate, using metric models derived from the French Alexandrine tradition and influenced by Rubén Darío and the French poet Baudelaire. Some recurring Machado symbols are:

• Water
• Galleries
• Sunrise / Sunset
• Seasons
• Changing landscapes

Second Stage and Campos de Castilla (1912)

The second stage of Machado marks, in some aspects, the end of modernism. He remained in Soria, Castilla (discovery, line 98). Machado married in 1909; Leonor died in 1912, and he moved to Baeza that year. The fruit of these experiences resulted in his most important book, Campos de Castilla (1912). The book contains several different sections. There are poems related to the Castilian landscape such as "Por tierras del Duero" and "En tierras castellanas." It also contains more public and social poetry.

Machado's poetic work continues and is completed in later collections: Nuevas canciones (1924) and Poemas y canciones: 'Guiomar', a collection of love poems dedicated to Pilar Valderrama, the poet's last love. He also produced a small collection of war poetry, poems written during the Civil War (1936–1939).

Miguel de Unamuno (1864–1936) — Life and Works

Miguel de Unamuno was born in Bilbao in 1864 and died in Salamanca in 1936. By age and a measure of conservatism, he was a leading figure among his contemporaries. As a novelist he wrote some very interesting and innovative texts that were often highly intellectual, philosophical and novelistic; some call these works nivolas.

Major Novels

• Paz en la guerra (Peace in War) (1897): Memories of his childhood in the environment of Guipúzcoa and the Carlist wars.
• Amor y pedagogía (Love and Pedagogy) (1902): The first nivola, among his most outstanding planned novels.
• Niebla (Fog) (1914)
• San Manuel Bueno, mártir (San Manuel Bueno, Martyr) (1930): In this novel Unamuno tells the story of a priest who struggles with belief. The novel questions religious belief as consolation for the poor and simple.

Essays and Philosophical Works

Unamuno's essays include important reflections on Spain, literature and faith:

• Around Casticism (En torno al casticismo) (1905): Five short essays on the Spanish situation at the time.
• The Life of Don Quixote and Sancho (1905): An essay on Cervantes's work where Unamuno reflects on the duality of the Spanish character.
• The Tragic Sense of Life (1913): Philosophical essays on the problem of religious belief and the problematic relationship between man and God.