Galician Prose in the Early 20th Century: Brotherhoods and Generation We

Galician Prose: Early 20th Century

The creation in 1916 of the first Brotherhood of Speech, in Corunna, by Antón Vilar Ponte, marks the beginning of a new era of splendor in Galician literature. Galician literature opened up to genres other than poetry, which had been predominant, embracing narrative and theater, as well as essays, scientific research, and political discourse.

The intellectuals of the Brotherhoods published the magazine Our Land, created publishing houses such as Céltiga or Home, and strengthened nationalist ideology, based not so much on past history, but on language and culture, which they consciously defended and developed in their articles, essays, and speeches. Among the prose writers of the Brotherhoods, Joseph East Meis stands out in narrative, and John Vicente Viqueira and Antón Vilar Ponte in essays.

The work of the Brotherhood was continued by the members of Generation We, formed by authors born around 1885, whose main defining element was publication between 1920 and 1936. Key figures include Risco, Pedrayo, Cuevillas, and Castelao, who shared vital ideological traits and therefore went through three stages in their development: the pre-Galicianist stage, which showed individualistic tendencies detached from nationalism; the Galicianist stage, in which they connected with the Brotherhood and developed intense cultural and political work; and, finally, the post-war stage of ideological split with the group. From a literary point of view, they sought the renewal of themes and techniques in the short story and novel, and enhanced the essay by enriching it linguistically and opening it to multiple areas of knowledge.

Vicente Risco

Vicente Risco is the author of the stories Of the Case That Happened to Dr. Alveiro (1919), dealing with the then-fashionable theme of spiritualism and the world beyond the grave, and Wolf's People (1925), which reworks a Galician folktale, returning to tradition. His only novel is The Pig Was Standing (1928), a satire of the bourgeoisie and materialism, represented by the caricature of Don Celidonio, the protagonist. In the essay genre, Risco stands out as the ideologue of nationalism, which he explains and justifies in Theory of Galician Nationalism (1920).

Ramón Otero Pedrayo

Ramón Otero Pedrayo also addressed the issue of the afterlife in his stories, such as Purgatory, D. Ramiro (1926). Notable works include those of a historical nature, such as The Paths of Life (1928), which chronicles the transformation of rural Galician society in the nineteenth century with the decline of chivalry and the rise of the bourgeoisie. In contrast, Around Him (1930) is a kind of spiritual biography of the Generation We group, reporting the evolution of the protagonist, Hadrian, to his commitment to Galicianism. Finally, Pedrayo's most important essay was the Historical Essay on Galician Culture (1939).

Afonso Rodríguez Castelao

The work of Afonso Rodríguez Castelao has a prominent place in the tale and the literary short story, as shown in A Glass Eye (1922), Things, published in two volumes (1926 and 1929), and Retrincos (1934). The forty-four stories of Things, each accompanied by an illustration by Castelao himself, constitute his most original work. They feature popular characters (sailors, immigrants) and mix humor and lyricism. Castelao's only novel was The Two-Time (1934). As a text, Always in Galicia (1944) stands out, a collection of essays and articles that collects Castelao's thoughts.

Rafael Dieste

Rafael Dieste, who is not part of Generation We, wrote the book of short stories titled From the Archives of the Naughty (1926), consisting of twenty stories starring popular characters and where the extraordinary is integrated into daily life. Dieste uses innovative techniques related to the avant-garde and is considered a precursor of magic realism.