Literary Avant-Garde Movements and the Generation of 27

Literary Avant-Garde Movements

Key Vanguard Types

• Futurism: Promoted by Marinetti. Emphasized xl admiration, technical programs, technical prescriptions, dismantling literary syntax, adverb of adjective, and no punctuation.
• Cubism: Supported by Apollinaire. Focused on calligrams, visual poetry, and playing with text alignment.
• Dadaism: Associated with child-like mumbles and Tristan Tzara. Fortuitously assembled words.
• Surrealism: Inspired by Freud and André Breton. Utilized automatic writing, letting whatever comes to mind flow freely. Repressed impulses emerge, and the subconscious normally surfaces in dreams.
• Creationism in Spain: Championed by Vicente Huidobro and Gerardo Diego's followers. The poet must create reality, not copy it.
• Ultraism: Crafted by Guillermo de Torre and Gerardo Diego. Combines elements of all avant-garde movements.

Prominent Authors and International Avant-Garde

• Ramón Gómez de Serna: Associated with the magazine Prometeo, defended futurism, created the 'ramayana' and 'greguería' (metaphor + humor).
• Spain Outside France: Surrealism appeared through André Breton, Louis Aragon, and Paul Éluard.
• Italy: Futurism led by Marinetti and Luigi Pirandello.
• Germany: Expressionism and Dadaism, represented by Franz Kafka and Bertolt Brecht.
• England: Renewal of English literature through James Joyce (Ulysses), Virginia Woolf, and D.H. Lawrence.
• North America: The Lost Generation; authors toured Europe with their careers to pursue new literary paths, prominently featuring Hemingway.

The Generation of 27

A group of poets who shared characteristics over a few years, maintaining a strong connection at the Residencia de Estudiantes and attending the 1927 homage to Góngora. They were deeply influenced by avant-garde movements while maintaining an interest in traditional forms and poetry.

Characteristics and Evolution

• Professors and bourgeois background joining modernity.
• Metaphor combining tradition and unusual originality.
• Metrics ranging from traditional forms, romances, to free verse.

Stages of the Generation of 27

• 1920s (Avant-Garde Position): An initial vanguard and dehumanized stance.
• 1930s (Humanization): Poetry became more human, focusing on death, pain, anguish, and love.
• 1936 Onward (Aftermath): Lorca was assassinated; Guillén, Salinas, Cernuda, and Alberti went into exile, while Dámaso Alonso, Gerardo Diego, and Vicente Aleixandre remained in Spain.

Key Authors of the Generation of 27

• Pedro Salinas

  Complex in meaning yet simple in form, inspired by Juan Ramón Jiménez. Divided into three stages:

  1. Pure poetry close to nearby vanguards (highlighting Presagio and Seguro azar).
  2. Love poetry (highlighting La voz a ti debida and Razón de amor).
  3. More existential poetry from exile (highlighting El contemplado and Todo más claro).

• Jorge Guillén

  Conceived his entire poetry as a single work called Aire nuestro, composed of three books: Cántico (song of the joy of living, harmony), Clamor (protest against injustice), and Homenaje (homage to authors and friends).

• Gerardo Diego

  Balanced two distinct paths in his poetry:

  • Traditional poetry: Religious and humanized tone, highlighting El romancero de la novia and Versos divinos.
  • Avant-garde creationist or ultraist poetry: Free verse without punctuation, highlighting Imagen and Manual de espumas.

• Federico García Lorca

  The prominent figure of the group, with two clear phases:

  • First phase: Linked to simple, popular Andalusian themes, highlighting Canciones and Romancero gitano.
  • Second phase (1929–1936): Closer to surrealism, heavily influenced by a trip to the USA. Highlights include Poeta en Nueva York, Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, Diván del Tamarit, and Seis poemas gallegos.

  In the 1930s, he founded the touring theater company La Barraca. His dramatic production stands out with masterpieces such as Bodas de sangre, Yerma, La casa de Bernarda Alba, and Doña Rosita la soltera.