Galician Generation of the 1950s: Poets, Themes, Works

Galician Generation of the 1950s

A) Features

They did not directly experience the Civil War. They were university students and participated in the Minervas writing contest hosted by the USC, which awarded narrative and poetic works in Galician. They felt a strong interest in contemporary European culture and developed a critical awareness of the Spanish reality of the time. Most of them, during their stay in Madrid, founded the group Brais Pinto and created a literary collection of the same name.

B) Poetic Evolution

The Generation of the 1950s staged the largest thematic and formal renovation in Galician poetry, although each member followed a distinct poetic path. We can establish two periods that mark very different trends.

• 1950s: Poetry marked by a profound influence of existentialism and the absurd. It is, therefore, poetry of uprootedness and anguish, often referred to as the School of Tebra.
• 1960s: In contrast, this poetry evolved into social poetry that denounced the lack of freedom. The influence of Celso Emilio Ferreiro's long poem A longa noite de pedra, published in 1962, is evident.

C) Representatives

The main representatives and voices of the generation include the following authors and their key characteristics and works.

Uxío Novoneyra

Born in the land of Courel, he went to Madrid at 19 and collaborated with Grupo Brais Pinto. In his poetry we highlight two aspects:

• Landscape: He expresses longing and the personal bond with the harsh nature of his homeland. Representative works: The Fields of Courel: Elegy and Other Poems.
• Social and political: Works with vindicative emphases collected in pieces such as Courel Compostela and calligraphic poems. He also cultivated love poetry such as Woman Away.

Novoneyra's poetry is also notable for formal devices such as phonosymbolism and the spatial layout and printing of the verses by Avilés.

Taramancos

Taramancos lived between Madrid and Colombia. His poetry is vitalistic and full of images that refer to the poet's connection with nature. Notable works include: The Time in the Mirror, How Caucanos the Towers in the Air, and Last Flight from Harar.

Manuel María

His poetry moves from an intimate, unsettled tone to a social and vindicative stance. Early works with an intimate voice include Adviento and Terra Chá, while his social and vindictive poetry appears in works such as In Personal Documents.

Bernardino Graña

Bernardino Graña wrote theater and narrative—many of his narratives are framed in children's literature—but poetry is where he developed his major work. Representative works include: Prophecy of the Sea, Vigo, and Cangas Do Not See, among others.

Xohana Torres

Xohana Torres is the main female voice within the generation. Her poetic works include From the Groove and The Sea Stations: Time Laughed. She is also noted for her novel Adiós Mary.

Other Voices

• X.L. Méndez Ferrín — With Gunpowder and Magnolias.
• Salvador García-Bodaño — The Foot of Each Hour.
• Arcadio López Casanova — Mester.
• José Luis Franco Grande — Between the Yes and No.

These authors and their works illustrate the thematic breadth and formal innovation of the Galician Generation of the 1950s: from existential, anguished lyric to engaged social poetry that responded to the political and cultural constraints of the era.