Master Poets of the Spanish Generation of '27

Key Authors of the Generation of '27

Pedro Salinas

The central theme of Pedro Salinas' work is love. His most important work, La voz a ti debida (The Voice Due to You), is a long poem in which the poet seeks the beloved beyond the real world, beyond the loved one herself. He also wrote Razón de amor (Reason for Love), Confianza (Trust), and Largo lamento (Long Lament). His poetry is characterized by restraint in the expression of feelings, careful lexical selection, and a metric preference for short verse.

Jorge Guillén

The poetry of Jorge Guillén offers a construction unit that resembles an architectural work. His symbolism is organized around the numbers three and five, with the poet representing the harmony of the universe. The language is very focused and precise. Outstanding works include Cántico (Song) and Clamor.

Gerardo Diego

Much of Gerardo Diego's extensive work revolves around traditional themes such as love and religion, often expressed in the form of ballads and sonnets. Notable works include Manual de espumas (Manual of Foam) and Versos humanos (Human and Divine Verses).

Rafael Alberti

Rafael Alberti maintains constant visual imagery, musicality, and connotation within his words. For him, poetry is a form of communication that allows the streaming of life experiences, focusing on certain themes and motifs: nostalgia for childhood and anxiety. His most prominent work is Marinero en tierra (Sailor on Land), which is full of nostalgia, along with Sobre los ángeles (Concerning the Angels), which breaks with traditional poetic language and utilizes surrealist techniques.

Federico García Lorca

Federico García Lorca cultivated two primary genres: poetry and drama. He was a man of captivating personality and extraordinary creative capacity. A tragic tone and the presence of death predominate in his poetry, appearing almost as a premonition. In his themes, elements of Andalusian folklore are constantly reworked by the poet, who almost always prefers sad or tragic subjects. His most important works include Canciones (Songs), Poema del cante jondo (Poem of the Deep Song), Romancero gitano (Gypsy Ballads), and Poeta en Nueva York (Poet in New York). His theatrical production deals with two main topics: the popular (Mariana Pineda) and female romantic passions (Bodas de sangre, La casa de Bernarda Alba, and Yerma).

Vicente Aleixandre

The Mediterranean is always present in the work of Vicente Aleixandre. All of his work revolves around man, whom he conceives as a pessimistic and anxious being. This view leads his poetry to deal with issues like love, life, passions, feelings, and death. His major books of poems include La destrucción o el amor (The Destruction or Love) and Historia del corazón (History of the Heart).