The Generation of '27: Poets, Trends, and Avant-Garde

The Generation of '27

The Generation of '27 was a group of friends sharing similar hobbies and poetic sensibilities. Key members included Federico García Lorca, Rafael Alberti, Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guillén, Luis Cernuda, Vicente Aleixandre, Manuel Altolaguirre, Emilio Prados, Dámaso Alonso, and Gerardo Diego. This circle also included essayists like María Zambrano and Benjamin, as well as novelists such as Francisco Ayala and Rosa Chacel. A common feature among its members was the pursuit of a balance between tradition and originality, and between cultured and popular art.

Literary Trends

• Neopopularismo: Predominantly featured octosyllabic verse with assonant rhyme, incorporating parallels and choruses from popular songs and ballads.
• Avant-Garde: Characterized by the breakdown of syntax, the removal of punctuation, and the use of irrational, visionary imagery. Gerardo Diego is notable for his work Manual de espumas.
• Pure Poetry: A trend initiated by Jorge Guillén with the 1928 publication of Cántico. This poetry seeks to express the fullness of the present, excluding melancholy or despair.

Core Themes

• Love: A passionate vision that blends pleasure and pain.
• Nature: As seen in Jorge Guillén's Cántico, focusing on the surprise produced by the harmony of the natural world.
• Death: A recurring existential motif.

Federico García Lorca

Lorca's work encompasses both poetry and drama, evolving through three distinct stages:

• Neopopulist (1921–1928): He embraced Andalusian popular culture, imitating the meter and style of traditional songs, ballads, and flamenco.
• Surrealist (1929–1932): Influenced by his 1930 stay in the U.S., he wrote Poet in New York. His visionary style expressed the desolation caused by capitalist society.
• Balance (1932–1936): A stage of synthesis between tradition and modernism.

The Avant-Garde Movements

The term refers to a set of artistic movements, known as "isms," that developed in Europe and America during the early 20th century, advocating for a new conception of art:

• Futurism: Established by Marinetti, this movement was characterized by the exaltation of progress and mechanics, utilizing a language free from syntax and punctuation.
• Dadaism: Created by Tristan Tzara during World War I, it represented a rejection of the logic of a society that had reached the absurdity of war, using linguistic inconsistency to defy social conventions.
• Surrealism: Led by André Breton, it advocated for the absolute freedom of human creativity.