Key Figures of the Generation of '27: Spanish Literary Masters

Ramon Gómez de la Serna (1888–1963)

Promoted avant-garde art through the magazine Prometheus and the famous Café Pombo gatherings, known for his Greguerías.

Dámaso Alonso (1898–1990)

University language teacher and Professor of Romance Philology in Madrid. Served as Director of the Royal Spanish Academy (1968–1982). Notable works include Poemas puros, Poemillas de la ciudad, El viento y el verso, and Hijos de la ira.

Gerardo Diego (1896–1987)

Born in Santander. At 25, he won the National Prize for Literature. Recipient of the Cervantes Prize. Key works: Imagen, Manual de espumas, Soria, and Versos humanos.

Vicente Aleixandre (1898–1984)

Moved to Madrid in 1909. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1977. Known for free verse, metaphors, and pure poetry. Major works: Ámbito, La destrucción o el amor, Sombra del paraíso, and Poemas de la consumación.

Pedro Salinas (1892–1951)

Born in Madrid. Known for his futuristic fables, distinct voice, and intellectual poetry centered on reason and love.

Jorge Guillén (1893–1984)

Born in Valladolid. Lived in exile in the U.S. and Málaga. Awarded the Cervantes Prize in 1976. Notable for his pure poetry: Cántico, Clamor, and Homenaje.

Federico García Lorca (1898–1936)

Born in Granada. Studied at the Residencia de Estudiantes. Traveled to New York in 1929. Founded the theater group La Barraca for pedagogical missions. Killed in Granada.

• Poetry: Poema del cante jondo, Romancero gitano, Poeta en Nueva York.
• Theater: El maleficio de la mariposa, Mariana Pineda, La zapatera prodigiosa, Don Perlimplín, Así que pasen cinco años, El público, Bodas de sangre, Yerma, La casa de Bernarda Alba.

Rafael Alberti (1902–1999)

Born in Cádiz. Won the National Prize for Literature in 1925. Lived in exile in Buenos Aires, returning to Spain in 1977. Awarded the Cervantes Prize in 1983. Works include Marinero en tierra, Cal y canto, Sobre los ángeles, and Entre el clavel y la espada.

Luis Cernuda (1902–1963)

Born in Sevilla. Studied law; associated with Lorca and Juan Ramón Jiménez. Lived in exile in England (1938) and Mexico (1952). Famous for La realidad y el deseo, Perfil del aire, Un río, un amor, Los placeres prohibidos, and Ocnos.

Miguel Hernández (1910–1942)

Born in Alicante. Originally a goat herder. Enlisted in the popular militia and died in the prison of Alicante. Notable works: El rayo que no cesa, Viento del pueblo, El hombre acecha, and Cancionero y romancero de ausencias.