The Nós Generation: Risco, Pedrayo, and Galician Literary Modernism

Foundations of Galician Contemporary Narrative

Vicente Risco and Ramón Otero Pedrayo are considered the architects of contemporary Galician narrative.

Vicente Risco: Criticism, Occultism, and Humor

Risco employed sharp criticism of the society of his time, often incorporating the presence of the occult, balanced with a dose of humor.

Ramón Otero Pedrayo: History and the Old Regime

Pedrayo, an intellectual scholar and historian, sought to reconstruct key moments in the country's history. His works depict the disappearance of the Old Regime, led by nobles, clergy, and peasants. A notable work is The Pilgrimage of Gelmírez.

Castelao's Art and Social Critique

Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao used hand-drawn narratives of great formal perfection to educate the reader about the unfairness derived from social and economic conditions. Key works include Memoirs of a Skeleton and Retrincos.

Expressionism and the Experimental Novel

The period saw the rise of experimental, Expressionist novels—a style very frequent in German literature. Expressionism served two main purposes:

• Social criticism regarding ongoing conflict.
• An obsession with appearance and bureaucracy.

Risco's Analysis of the Bourgeoisie and Rural Tragedy

Risco developed a profound social analysis covering the period from the end of World War I to the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. He reviewed the new commercial bourgeoisie, noting its support from certain sectors and its renunciation of chivalry in favor of adopting indigenous networks. He also highlighted the tragedy of the rural population, often lacking the means of subsistence.

The Magazine Nós: A Cultural Nexus

The magazine Nós (Us) was subtitled the Monthly Bulletin of Galician Culture. Its literary director was Risco, and its artistic director was Castelao. The magazine hosted three generations of writers and thinkers:

1. The coming of the Brotherhood of Speech (Irmandades da Fala).
2. The generation of the Seminary of Galician Studies.
3. Younger writers.

Its cultural vision was multidisciplinary and open, with a great concern for establishing the Galician language in the fields of contemporary society.

Risco's Essays on Galician Identity

Ideological Evolution and Fin-de-Siècle Traits

In his essay Nós, os inadaptados (Nós, the Misfits), Risco explains the formation and essential elements of his ideological evolution. Risco equated the characteristics of galeguia (Galician identity) with fin-de-siècle features. For him, the Galician people are fin-de-siècle and decadent, characterized by traits observed in writers before World War I:

• A hatred of their own time.
• Designing art as an escape.
• Being antisocial and individualistic.
• Seeking the exotic.

Other key works include Mitteleuropa, a historical essay on Galician culture.