Postwar Spanish Novels: Social Realism, Key Works & Authors

Novel 40: The Family of Pascual Duarte

Novel 40: The first publication that breaks the triumphant and friendly trend that, after the Civil War, had been imposed on the new political narrative to hide the physical and moral misery of the Spanish people is The Family of Pascual Duarte by Camilo José Cela. This confirmed the emergence of other novels with the same pessimistic tone, featuring detailed personal reflections about their own existence. Among these types of novels, notable is Nada by Carmen Laforet.

Novel 50: Social Realism and Collective Themes

Novela 50: Following the publication of The Road, by Miguel Delibes, and The Hive, by Camilo José Cela, narrators began abandoning the treatment of personal concerns to move on to the collective: thus begins in Spain a period of social realism, which emphasizes works such as Jarama, Curtains, Little Theater, The Forge and Blood... and which is being influenced by American fiction and Italian neorealism. The subject matter of these novels focuses on Spanish society, with the intention of exposing the different problems that occur therein. The style is simple and expressive. The point of view is sometimes subjective (the author inserts their opinions), and other times objective (not merely reproducing reality nor commenting on it).

Novel News: Return to Traditional Narratives

Novel News: The narrative experimentation is no longer the main interest of novelists. The Truth About the Savolta Case in 1975 marks a return to the traditional novel. However, there are now a variety of themes and styles: detective/police (Manuel Vázquez Montalbán), fantasy (Ana María Matute), historical (Eduardo Mendoza) and experimental (Juan José Millás). Also, the novel has many representatives, from the early postwar years (Ignacio Aldecoa) until now (Antonio Muñoz Molina).

Camilo José Cela and La Colmena

Camilo José Cela: He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1989. His rich lexicon, characteristic black humor and precision in the portrayal of characters exemplify his themes and techniques to express the different moments that have occurred in the Spanish novel. The most representative novel is The Hive, which is situated in the period of social realism. This is a novel without a conventional plot in which there is an extensive gallery of characters who move in postwar Madrid and who reveal the negative features of that society. The narrator maintains an objective attitude, though he does not always succeed and sometimes gives opinions.