Key Figures and Movements in 20th Century Spanish Literature
Literary Realism: Key Features
- Interest in reality and the everyday
- Search for objectivity and realism
- Treatment of contemporary topics
- Social criticism
- Plain and simple style
- Use of the omniscient narrator
- Careful recreation of character speech
Antonio Machado
Born in Seville in 1875, Machado was educated at the Institute of Madrid. In 1907, he became a professor of French in Soria and died in Collioure in 1939. He defined his poetry as a quest for the essential.
Major Works
- Soledades: Expresses intimate feelings and emotions.
- Campos de Castilla: Reflects simplicity and the Spanish landscape.
Valle-Inclán
Born in Pontevedra in 1866, he experienced a troubled path, moving from the ideological conservatism of his youth to the republicanism of his final years. He died in 1936. He was a great renovator of Spanish theater.
Key Stages and Works
- Works: Sonatas and Tirano Banderas.
- Theater Stage 1: Modernist aesthetics.
- Theater Stage 2: The esperpento.
Novecentismo and the Generation of '27
Novecentismo focused on intellectualism, Europeanism, and the desire for pure art. Its primary creator was Juan Ramón Jiménez with Platero y yo (1916).
The Generation of '27 formed in the 1920s to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the death of Luis de Góngora. Members included: Lorca, Alberti, Cernuda, Salinas, Guillén, Alonso, Diego, and Aleixandre.
Juan Ramón Jiménez
Born in Huelva in 1881, his work is characterized by the pursuit of perfection. His career is divided into three stages: sensitive, intellectual, and real. He died in Puerto Rico.
Federico García Lorca
Born in Granada in 1898, he was a major innovator of Spanish theater alongside Valle-Inclán. He was executed in 1936.
Literary Stages
- Stage 1: Gypsy Ballads (Romancero Gitano). Popular poetry expressing themes of desire, rebellion, and death (e.g., Death of Antoñito el Camborio).
- Stage 2: Poet in New York. Influenced by the avant-garde, utilizing free verse and surrealist imagery.
- Theater: The House of Bernarda Alba.