The Literary Legacy of Spain's Generation of 27

The Generation of 27: Formation and Context

The Generación del 27 was a group of writers and poets who met primarily at the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid. They were published roughly between 1920 and 1935.

The group celebrated the 300th anniversary of the death of Luis de Góngora, an event that solidified their identity and shared literary goals.

Principal Authors

The group included:

• Pedro Salinas
• Jorge Guillén
• Gerardo Diego
• Vicente Aleixandre
• Luis Cernuda
• Dámaso Alonso
• Rafael Alberti
• Federico García Lorca
• Manuel Altolaguirre
• Emilio Prados

Defining Characteristics and Style

The poetry of the Generación del 27 is marked by:

• Mixture of Tradition and Modernity: A blend of avant-garde techniques with classical Spanish literary forms.
• Passion for Classics: Strong influence from classical Spanish literature, including Garcilaso de la Vega and Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer.
• Intensive Cultivation of Image and Metaphor: They created a brilliant poetic vocabulary, often blending the everyday with literary innovation.
• Meter: Mastery of both traditional verse forms and metrical innovation.

Evolution of the Movement

The movement generally progressed through distinct stages:

Stage 1: Pure Poetry (The 1920s)

Influenced by the Vanguards and the pure poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez, this stage was characterized by:

• An obsession with achieving total aesthetic beauty in the poem.
• Purification of language and experimentation.
• A relative lack of sentimentality.

Stage 2: Rehumanization and Social Commitment (Post-1928)

Starting around 1928, there was a process of rehumanization and social commitment, producing powerful and often unusual imagery.

Stage 3: Post-Civil War Exile and Suffering

After the Spanish Civil War, the group dispersed. Some members were killed, and others were exiled. Their subsequent work often focused on human suffering due to the war and its consequences.

Profiles of Key Poets

Pedro Salinas

Known for pure poetry with an intellectualized, simple language. Characterized by his reflections on the future of humanity, especially during his exile.

Jorge Guillén

The most prominent representative of pure poetry. He maintained a balanced and optimistic conception of life, though his later books addressed injustice.

Vicente Aleixandre

Did not go into exile. He initially held a pessimistic concept of the world, which evolved into a trend of social poetry, characterized by solidarity and cultural depth.

Gerardo Diego

Highlights include his thematic variety, mastery of metric forms, and language. His work successfully alternates between tradition and vanguardia (avant-garde).

Luis Cernuda

His lonely and tormented personality is reflected in his work. Key themes include the mystery of love, loneliness, and the pursuit of beauty, expressed through purged language and careful use of verse.

Rafael Alberti

Collaborated with the Republicans, leading to his exile. His poetry demonstrates a wide variety and domain of metrics. After 1931, his work became less aesthetic and more politically compromised.