Neotrobadorismo and Galician Avant-Garde Poets: Cunqueiro & Manuel Antonio

Neotrobadorismo: Galician medieval revival

Neotrobadorismo is a movement born from the popularization of medieval Galician lyric poetry. It appears early in the 20th century through the publication of various studies and anthologies. This revival produced important Galician output and brought knowledge of medieval poets back to contemporary readers.

Bouza Brey and medieval lyric adaptation

One notable modernizer is Bouza Brey, who introduced his own lyric poems while reconnecting with the medieval world. He reproduces and adapts poetic verses and medieval forms, preserving formal meters and features in collections such as Procedemento, Nao, Senlleira and Seitura. Bouza Brey often works within traditional shapes such as the ballad; he reproduces or reimagines the body of medieval song while keeping its meters and motifs.

Álvaro Cunqueiro: surreal and automatic influences

An outstanding representative of this strand is Álvaro Cunqueiro. Besides his clear ties to medieval lyric, Cunqueiro contributes a surreal collection of poems, Poemas do Si e do Non, a book that adapts, in part, techniques akin to automatic writing. His work shows how neotrobadorismo can fuse medieval sensibilities with surreal modern methods.

Hylozoism and Amado Carballo

Another genuinely Galician movement is the hylozoic tendency represented by the Pontevedra poet Amado Carballo. This movement centers on the presence of nature as a primary element, presenting layered images that break away from traditional meters and sentimental conventions. Important collections associated with this movement include Proel and O Gaul.

Vangarda Rianxeira: Manuel Antonio's modernism

By contrast, the poet who best embodies the essence of the Vangarda Rianxeira is Manuel Antonio. He is the poet par excellence of this avant-garde current. Rather than following strict creationism, Manuel Antonio gives a personal interpretation to vanguard techniques, distinguishing himself by freeing rhyme and traditional meters and by creating bold, lyrical images rooted in our land.

Notable themes and collections

In Manuel Antonio's poetic production, collections such as Anacos, Conforman o meu interior, Foll and Viladomar are frequently cited as outstanding. His most celebrated book is often considered to be O caderno dunha viaxe, a notebook of a sea voyage that is both real and interior. In these poems the poet sings of solitude and of sailors, with pieces like "Soidade", "Mariñeiros" and their illusions.

Other Vangarda figures: Luis Pimentel

The movement also features other individual avant-garde poets, notably Luis Pimentel. Pimentel recreates an intimate, interior northern world where pain and nostalgia are treated with delicacy and sensitivity. His poetic universe appears gathered in volumes such as Sombras and Trisco (titles as presented by contemporaries), in which the air, the grass and subtle images predominate.

Xeración Nós: consolidation of prose and theater

The Xeración Nós contributed decisively to the consolidation of Galician literary prose and marked a maturation of theatre at the end of the period. Novelists diversified themes and introduced narrative techniques influenced by European fiction. In scientific and critical prose, authors applied new approaches across genres and fields of knowledge. In drama, symbolic and poetic elements often prevailed, while realistic costume drama incorporated contemporary dramaturgical trends from Europe.

Key figures and contributions

Among the most prominent members of this group were Vicente Otero Pedrayo and Bluff (as named in contemporary references). Both are notable for their editorial and magazine work and for their contributions to literary prose production; to a lesser extent they also engaged in theatre. Their activity helped to consolidate a critical and creative environment for Galician letters.

Summary of movements and features

• Neotrobadorismo: medieval lyric revival and adaptation.
• Hylozoism: nature-centered imagery and broken traditional meters.
• Vangarda Rianxeira: avant-garde experimentation with lyric form.
• Xeración Nós: consolidation of prose, theatre, and critical thought.

Note: All names, collection titles and movement labels have been preserved and corrected for spelling and grammar. The text retains the original content and intent while improving clarity and capitalization.