Generation of '27: Key Poets, Literary Style and Context

Generation of '27: Literary Synthesis

The Generation of '27 refers to a group of writers credited with synthesizing the main innovations of the European avant-garde with the rich Spanish poetic tradition.

Members

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

Cultural Context

The environment was highly favorable for their development:

• Influence of predecessors: The poetry of Antonio Machado and Juan Ramón Jiménez.
• European Vanguard: Diffusion of new artistic movements in Spain.
• Residencia de Estudiantes: A hub for intellectual coexistence.
• Literary Magazines: Proliferation of publications that allowed them to share news and publish their works.

Influences and Originality

Their work was influenced by pure poetry, the avant-garde, the Spanish Baroque, folk poetry, and Surrealism. Their originality lay in the wisdom of merging the new with the old.

Stylistic Features

• Metrical Forms: They utilized the sonnet and the tenth (enlightened tradition), the romance (popular tradition), and free verse (surrealist avant-garde).
• Rhetorical Devices: Use of anaphora, parallelisms, and repetitions.
• Metaphor: The key stylistic feature of their work.

Stages of Development

1. Youth: Pure and dehumanized poetry.
2. Rehumanization: Poetry with political commitment.
3. Exile: The final stage following the Spanish Civil War.

Key Authors and Works

Rafael Alberti

Winner of the National Award for Marinero en tierra. He was influenced by folk poetry, utilizing short verses, parallelism, and anaphora. His surrealist influence is evident in Sobre los ángeles.

Gerardo Diego

In his early stage, he wrote Imagen and Manual de espumas, influenced by Creationism. Later, he wrote works inspired by classical and popular poetry, such as Versos humanos and Alondra de verdad.

Luis Cernuda

He published his complete poetry under the generic title La realidad y el deseo. A notable later work is Desolación de la quimera.

Vicente Aleixandre

His connection with Surrealism was strong, as reflected in Espadas como labios and La destrucción o el amor. His primary poetic themes are the longing for love and solidarity to overcome the self.

Pedro Salinas

He wrote profound love poems, preferring short verses and clear language. His most famous book is La voz a ti debida. He also contributed to literary criticism and the novel.

Jorge Guillén

His entire poetic output is published under the title Aire nuestro, which covers three cycles: Cántico (exalting the perfection of creation), Clamor (addressing elements that destroy the beauty of the world), and Homenaje (dedicated to personalities of the arts and sciences). His poetry is polished and conceptual.