Spanish Literary Giants: Post-War Authors and Their Masterpieces

Camilo José Cela (1916-2002)

Born in Iria Flavia (La Coruña), Camilo José Cela was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1989. His first major success was La familia de Pascual Duarte. This novel exemplifies Tremendismo, a literary current characterized by gruesome arguments, violent scenes, and the use of rural language. La familia de Pascual Duarte is an autobiographical story, told in the first person, where the protagonist recounts his life and the various crimes that led to his death penalty from jail.

Cela's other notable works include Pabellón de reposo, a succession of monologues; Nuevas andanzas y desventuras de Lazarillo de Tormes, a work in the picaresque tradition; and Viaje a la Alcarria, a renowned travel book exploring several villages in Guadalajara.

In 1951, he published the groundbreaking novel La colmena, which lacks a single protagonist. Its plot is fragmented into a multitude of anecdotal events involving hundreds of characters from Madrid society in the post-war period. Cela continued to write with diverse styles, ranging from experimental novels like San Camilo, 1936 (which employs interior monologue) to more traditional novels such as Mazurca para dos muertos.

Miguel Delibes (1920-2010)

A distinguished professor, journalist, and novelist, Miguel Delibes was deeply rooted in Valladolid. He won the Nadal Prize for La sombra del ciprés es alargada. The world of childhood is one of his favorite and recurring themes, also evident in works like El camino and El príncipe destronado.

The world of the elderly is explored in other novels such as La hoja roja, El disputado voto del señor Cayo, and Cartas de amor de un sexagenario voluptuoso. Cinco horas con Mario stands as one of his major works, featuring a long interior monologue by the protagonist, Carmen, as she watches over her husband's corpse and reflects on their shared experiences.

Other novels by Delibes vividly portray the countryside, his profound love of nature, his passion for hunting, and the hardships of post-war Spain, including Las ratas, Las guerras de nuestros antepasados, and Los santos inocentes.

Carmen Laforet (1921-2004)

Carmen Laforet won the Nadal Prize for her innovative novel Nada. This work connects with French existentialism and Italian neorealism. These two cultural and philosophical currents often present a bleak view of life, reflecting the sad situation of crisis and destruction prevalent in European society after the war.

Nada is told in the first person, detailing the experiences of Andrea, a young woman who arrives in Barcelona to study. She undergoes successive disappointments within the oppressive atmosphere of the family she lives with. Laforet's style is characterized by its spontaneity, freshness, and directness.