Spanish and Latin American Narrative: 20th Century Literary Evolution

Narrative in the Second Half of the 20th Century

Introduction to Spanish Narrative Periods

Before the outbreak of the Civil War, the narrative developing in Spain fell into three large blocks of novels:

1. Traditional Realist Novels
2. Novels of Noventaychismo (Generation of '98)
3. Novecentismo Literature

Following the end of the Civil War, and focusing on authors who remained in Spain (outside of exile), Spanish narrative is typically divided into four distinct stages.

Stages of Post-Civil War Spanish Narrative

A) The Novel of the 1940s

The Civil War marked a discontinuity in the history of Spanish literature due to political reasons. Authors faced very strong political censorship during the first 15 years of the dictatorship, which prevented them from continuing the trends of Novecentismo literature and the Generation of '27.

Key Features:

• Authors sought their roots in the Spanish literature of the Spanish Golden Age.

B) The Novel of the 1950s

This period saw a relaxation of censorship, allowing for a greater understanding of new contemporary Western literature. This era also saw the creation of a new Spanish publishing industry, the establishment of novel awards, and the rise of more scientific literary criticism.

Key Characteristics:

While authors used similar literary sources, the difference was that Neorealism gave greater importance to the formal, linguistic, and technical aspects of the works.

C) The Novel of the 1960s

Spain slowly and gradually opened up to the world. The narrative integrated into various international flows, achieving a degree of 'normality' despite the Franco dictatorship. Around this time, some exiles began to return to Spain, coinciding with the start of the so-called Boom in Hispanic Narrators, who introduced new themes and forms to the novel.

Key Features:

• The novels are often metafictional (about themselves).
• Writers tested new ways of narrating.
• They often broke with the normal syntax of the language.

D) The Novel from 1975 (Post-Franco Era)

The Generation of '68 played a key role in rediscovering the importance of narrative structure and the necessity of plot to maintain the reader's attention. These elements became central to the new Spanish narrative. The political situation in Spain normalized with the arrival of democracy, allowing Spanish literature to align with the rest of the Western world.

Key Characteristics:

• Many authors dedicated themselves to teaching and literary criticism.
• Settings are often urban landscapes.
• Style is highly varied and does not adhere to mandatory rules.
• The works seek a reader capable of decoding the complex inner codes they employ.

Gabriel García Márquez and Magical Realism

The Latin American Boom

Gabriel García Márquez (Gabo) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. He remains one of the most important writers in Latin American literature and a primary representative of Magical Realism.

Magical Realism focuses on contemporary man and his existential angst, incorporating new European narrative techniques with mythical elements drawn from the cultural foundations of Latin America.

The 1960s saw the production of the so-called Latin American Novel Boom, which transformed literature into a significant sociological phenomenon.

Style:

García Márquez seamlessly integrates traditional narrative forms with the most current literary techniques.