Miguel Hernández: Life and Poetic Evolution of the Goat-Herd Poet

The Early Life of Miguel Hernández

Miguel Hernández was born into a modest family of livestock farmers on 30 October 1910 in Orihuela. He was part of a large family of seven siblings, though only four survived childhood.

During his adolescence, Hernández kept a secret from his father, who did not allow him to attend school beyond the age of fourteen. Miguel worked as a goat-herd, and his formal schooling was brief. After attending a private school for a few months, he continued his education at an institution for underprivileged children. At thirteen, thanks to his great intelligence, he earned a scholarship to a prestigious school, where he met Luis Almarcha, who would become his protector and benefactor.

Despite having limited basic education, Miguel felt a strong vocation as a poet and began writing at fifteen. Lacking a personal library, he read books from various sources, often taking advantage of his time tending to the goats to read and write.

Hernández collaborated with two friends to found a literary magazine and later purchased his first typewriter. Driven by a desire to prove his worth, he realized that Orihuela was too small for his ambitions and decided to leave his hometown.

First Stage: Miguel Hernández and Nature

Miguel lived surrounded by nature, which became a central theme in his work. In his poems, nature and everyday objects serve as the primary protagonists. His style features a blend of realism with subtle influences of modernism, often linking the natural world to the divine through inventive language.

As a keen observer, Hernández infused his poems with pure metaphors based on his surroundings. His work frequently explores the intersection of religion and nature, extolling the splendor and beauty of the world as a manifestation of God's creation. While he occasionally incorporated scenes of sensuality, his early work is predominantly defined by a religious perspective, viewing the earth and humanity as inseparable elements of life. Influenced by the style of Góngora, he became proficient in describing simple objects from nature and everyday life with profound depth.