Miguel Hernández: Poetry, War, and Political Commitment

Early Life and Poetic Beginnings

Miguel Hernández and his poetry cannot be disentangled from the Spanish Civil War. While the war interrupted his natural development, it was crucial to his poetic and human growth. In his youth, his concerns were not primarily social or political. Works like Perito en Lunas show an exclusively literary preoccupation, and in El rayo que no cesa (The Lightning That Never Stops), the theme is love, not social issues.

The Spanish Civil War: A Turning Point

When Spain was plunged into the tragedy of the Civil War (1936-1939), Miguel Hernández acted, moved by loyalty to the Republic and his social class. He himself had left school at fifteen to become a shepherd for his father's flock. His commitment was also shaped by his observations during a journey to the USSR, where he viewed the revolution's industrial and social achievements through an orthodox Marxist-Communist perspective. He enlisted as a volunteer, serving on the hardest battlefronts, unhesitatingly offering his best weapon: poetry. After the Republican defeat, Miguel was arrested and sentenced first to death, later commuted to life imprisonment.

Vientos del Pueblo: Poetry as a Weapon

The significance these events had on his poetry is particularly evident in Vientos del pueblo (Winds of the People). In this work, Hernández fully committed to the cause. Some poems function as propaganda, reflecting the military circumstances of the conflict. At times, literary quality might seem sacrificed for the raw, immediate feelings of a soldier on the front lines. Solidarity is a main theme running through this book, with the poem 'El Niño Yuntero' (The Boy Carter) being perhaps the clearest example of this line. Ultimately, it is a book born of war and tragic circumstances, yet it possesses great literary value, both intrinsically and in shaping the poet's worldview.

El Hombre Acecha: War Fatigue and Reflection

In the book El hombre acecha (Man Stalks), the standout theme is the fatigue from the war, which had lasted three years. From the first poem, we see a war so prolonged that humanity cannot escape its clutches. Love, which propelled Hernández's commitment, is overshadowed by violence and cruelty. This reflection marks a thematic shift towards a thoughtful tone and simplicity, anticipating the style of his later work.

Cancionero y Romancero de Ausencias: Intimacy and Aftermath

In Cancionero y romancero de ausencias (Songbook and Ballads of Absences), Miguel Hernández reaches a peak of intimacy. Social and political commitment attenuates as he lives, in his own flesh, the consequences of that commitment. After the defeat, he suffered imprisonment, which ultimately cost him his life. In this work, references to the war are scarce and viewed from a profoundly human perspective, rather than a political one.