Poetry and Culture of the Spanish Generation of 1927

The Legacy of the Generation of '27

The Generation of '27 emerged during the tercentenary celebration of the death of the poet Luis de Góngora. This movement represented an awareness of what a poet and poetry should be, marked by a nineteenth-century rejection of tradition and modernism. Manifested in the style of the avant-garde, it was the final discovery of the Baroque with an extension to the entire Golden Age. Around the Baroque, the encounter with literature contains aesthetic reasons specified in three characters: freedom of imagination and ingenuity, the supremacy of metaphor, and self-sufficiency as a product of the literary act, which was often elitist and dehumanizing.

Three Stages of Development

• First Stage: From the origins to the Spanish Civil War. This period is characterized by the pursuit of personal aesthetics, with the most important books published from 1928 to 1936.
• Second Stage: From the Civil War to the end of World War II. The content became committed and tinged with drama, moving away from the initial aesthetic focus.
• Third Stage: Until the death of recent poets in the 20th century. A balance is achieved between the previous positions.

Socio-Cultural Characteristics

The Generation of '27 was a liberal, progressive, and university-educated group. They were the children of merchants, wealthy farmers, high-class professionals, and aristocrats. Enjoying a good economic situation, they studied at universities and were often philologists and multilingual. Belonging to the liberal bourgeoisie, they leaned toward the left, showed little concern for religion (often being agnostics or atheists), and were patriots who practiced a playful sense of life, sports, and sexual freedom. They accepted machines, inventions, and new communications as part of their time. Notable women in this generation include Teresa León and Concha Méndez.

Influential Teachers and the Liberal Tradition

The group felt indebted to previous writers such as the philosopher Ortega y Gasset, the avant-garde figure Gómez de la Serna, and the poet Juan Ramón Jiménez. The Spanish culture substrate was fertilized by liberalism since 1868. The Institución Libre de Enseñanza (Free Institution of Education), headed by Mr. Giner and Don Bartolomé Cossío, adopted rules of conduct where the metaphysical plane reached the everyday life of young people. They believed a man must be liberal and secular, yet respectful of beliefs, valuing dialogue and tolerance. He should be conscious of his acts, in harmony with nature, body, and soul, loving and living happily as a citizen of the world.