Generation of '27: Poets, Works, and Influences

The Generation of '27: A Literary Overview

The Generation of '27 was a group of Spanish poets who shared friendships and activities. Their work was influenced by Góngora, particularly after the commemoration of his death in 1927. Their themes were varied, including nostalgia, the life of soldiers, death, and love.

A key characteristic of this generation was the search for a balance between tradition and innovation. They were respectful of past eras, drawing inspiration from lyrical poetry of the Spanish Golden Age (Garcilaso and Quevedo), Romanticism (Bécquer), and contemporary poets like Machado and Juan Ramón Jiménez, as well as Modernism (Rubén Darío). They also achieved a reconciliation between intellectual and sentimental approaches, blending cultured and popular elements.

Notable authors included Pedro Salinas, Federico García Lorca, Jorge Guillén, and Rafael Alberti. Their works show an evolution from an avant-garde stance towards a more intellectual and humanistic position.

Federico García Lorca

Federico García Lorca's poetic production is characterized by a trajectory that begins with his own style, incorporating popular and traditional elements alongside avant-garde influences. Notable works include Romancero Gitano and Poema del Cante Jondo. In Poet in New York, his poetry undergoes a formal change, reflecting a personal crisis and portraying a materialistic and individualistic world. Later in his career, he returned to traditional themes of love and death.

Born in Fuentevaqueros (Granada), he spent his youth in Madrid, where he met many intellectuals of his time. He studied lyrics and music. In 1929, he received a scholarship to New York to further his work. Upon returning to Spain, he founded "La Barraca," a theater group that performed theatrical works across many regions. However, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, he was arrested by Francoist authorities in August 1936 and executed shortly after.

Pablo Neruda

Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (1924)

This early work showcases Neruda's personal voice and undeniable literary quality. The poetic forms express different loving relationships, giving meaning to the work. The story is full of failures, encounters, and intrigues, with different phases: the discovery of love, lost love, and the experience of love.

Neruda, a Chilean poet, is considered one of the most outstanding poets of the 20th century. Born Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, he spent his childhood in southern Chile (Temuco). He moved to Santiago to develop his literary career and later pursued a diplomatic career. In 1971, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. His extensive and varied works reflect different literary trends. Modernist tendencies are observed in Crepusculario. In Twenty Love Poems..., he overcomes modernism, and Residencia en la tierra incorporates surrealism. His works often focus on basic, everyday affairs, where the author expresses sentimental and personal emotions.