Literary Generations of Post-War Spain: Novel, Poetry, and Drama

Spanish Literature and Culture Under Francoism (1939–1975)

The Impact of Francoism on Society and Culture

The Franco regime had profound political, social, and cultural consequences for Spain. This era was marked by:

• A complete break with pre-war literary trends.
• The exile of a significant number of writers.
• A rigid censorship system designed to control the political and social situation.

The Evolution of the Spanish Novel (1939–1990s)

Literature of Exile (Post-1939)

Themes: Nostalgia for Spain, and the causes and consequences of the Civil War.

• Ramón Sender: Crónica del alba
• Max Aub: El laberinto mágico (The Magic Labyrinth)

Magic-Existential Novel (The 1940s)

This period focused on themes of panic and existential angst.

• Camilo José Cela: La familia de Pascual Duarte
• Carmen Laforet: Nada

Social Realism (The 1950s)

Focusing on social critique and everyday life.

• Camilo José Cela: La colmena (The Hive)
• Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio: El Jarama

Experimental Narrative (The 1960s)

This movement was influenced by major foreign novelists and the discovery of the Latin American novel. Narrative techniques changed significantly:

• Shifts in narrative perspective (from 1st person to 2nd or 3rd).
• Increased narrator interventions.
• Chapter divisions separated by white space.

Key Authors and Works:

• Luis Martín-Santos: Tiempo de silencio (Noted for its stylistic variety)
• Miguel Delibes: Cinco horas con Mario
• Camilo José Cela: San Camilo, 1936
• Juan Marsé: Últimas tardes con Teresa
• Eduardo Mendoza: La verdad sobre el caso Savolta (Published 1975)

The Novel of the 1990s and Contemporary Literature

Authors from this period include:

• Julio Llamazares
• Manuel Puértolas (La Soledad novel)
• Almudena Grandes
• Arturo Pérez-Reverte
• Antonio Gala

Spanish Poetry (1940s–1970s)

Existential Poetry (The 1940s)

Themes: Loneliness and anxiety.

• Dámaso Alonso: Hijos de la ira (Children of Wrath)
• Blas de Otero: Ángel fieramente humano

Vanguardist Poetry: Represented by Carlos Edmundo de Ory and the Cántico Group (Pablo García Baena).

Social Poetry (The 1950s)

This poetry expressed anguish using simple language, often focusing on collective concerns.

• Blas de Otero: Pido la paz y la palabra
• Vicente Aleixandre

Renewal and the Novísimos (The 1960s and 1970s)

The 1960s saw a renewal of poetic language (e.g., Claudio Rodríguez and José Manuel Caballero Bonald).

The 1970s introduced the Novísimos (or the Nine Novísimos Spanish Poets), characterized by culturalism and experimentalism:

• Leopoldo María Panero: Known for allusions to film.
• Antonio Colinas: Practiced Culturalism, drawing subjects from the classical world.
• José Miguel Ullán: Incorporated experimental poetic imagery.

Spanish Theater (1939–Present)

Post-War Theater (1939–1950s)

Theater during the 1939–1950s was heavily monitored by Francoist censorship, resulting in a minority of works being produced.

• Existential Drama: Featured characters tormented by anguish and loneliness.
  • Antonio Buero Vallejo: Historia de una escalera (History of a Stairway)
• Comic Theater: Offered a comic vision of life that disappointed, compelling characters to surrender to pressure.
  • Enrique Jardiel Poncela

New Trends and Contemporary Theater

A new realistic trend appeared, notably:

• Fernando Fernán Gómez: Las bicicletas son para el verano (Bikes Are for the Summer).

Post-1975, poetry was sometimes used as a means of communication within theater (e.g., Luis García Montero, known for La poesía del misterio. Las islas extrañas).