Generation of '27: Poetry, Influences, and Legacy

Generation of '27: Commemoration and Friendship

The Generation of '27, also called the '27 Generation of Friendship, shared a strong bond and a progressive spirit. Most members were Andalusians, though they later lived in Madrid. They were closely linked to the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid, sharing intellectual curiosity, deep culture, and great enthusiasm.

Poetic Trajectory: Tradition and Vanguard

The work of these poets moved between tradition and the avant-garde. They moved away from purely traditional poetry while incorporating avant-garde elements. They also drew influences from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, from figures like Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Rubén Darío, and especially Juan Ramón Jiménez. The vanguards they embraced included Surrealism, Futurism, and Creationism.

Literary Experience: Key Phases

1. Ideal of Purity

Initially, they cultivated pure poetry, viewing art as autonomous and self-sufficient, heavily influenced by J. Ramón Jiménez. This phase emphasized the conceptual over the emotive and often dehumanized nature:

• Seguro azar (Certain Chance), Pedro Salinas
• Poesía pura, Poemillas de la ciudad, Dámaso Alonso

2. Influences of Surrealism

They attached great importance to the world of dreams. This avant-garde movement impacted Spanish literature significantly, providing poets with flashes of new language. They used these techniques to express personal crises, freely voicing inner conflicts while rejecting outdated moral rules:

• Poeta en Nueva York (Poet in New York); Lorca
• Sobre los ángeles (About Angels), Rafael Alberti

3. Committed Poetry

Poetry became more politically engaged. In works written under the influence of Surrealism, a process of rehumanization began, which intensified throughout the 1930s. There was a tendency to move away from the postulates of purism and pay attention to the contemporary world:

• Destrucción o amor (Destruction or Love) (committed existentialism), Vicente Aleixandre
• Nocturno sin patria (Poetic commitment), Rafael Alberti
• Hijos de la ira (Children of Wrath) (social withdrawal after 1936), Dámaso Alonso

4. The War and Exile

When the war broke out, most members of this generation, except for Gerardo Diego, supported the Republic. Lorca was assassinated, Jorge Guillén was imprisoned, and Salinas had left before the conflict began.

The main theme became evoking melancholy, the calm of a distant land, and the desire to return home:

• Clamor, Jorge Guillén
• Retorno de lo vivo lejano (Return of the Living Far Away), Rafael Alberti