Spanish Literary Movements: Novecentismo to Avant-garde

Novecentismo: Intellectual Literary Movement

Novecentismo is a literary movement created by writers of intellectual formation, which, contrasting with others, sought to create a pure art and a renewed human content of reality. This cultivated prose exposed their approaches to Spanish modernization. This literary tendency belongs to Ortega y Gasset, one of its most important authors, and to Juan Ramón Jiménez and Eugenio d'Ors.

Juan Ramón Jiménez: Nobel Laureate & Literary Stages

Juan Ramón Jiménez was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1956. His literary stance was characterized by a constant search for knowledge. His extensive work is divided into three stages:

• Sensitive Era (1900-1916): Characterized by the power and literary symbolism of Modernism. Notable works include Jardines Lejanos (Distant Gardens) and Baladas de Primavera (Spring Ballads). He also wrote Platero y yo (Platero and I), published in 1914.
• Intellectual Era (1917-1936): Characterized by the elimination of artificiality and sentimentalism, seeking purity. An example is Diario de un poeta recién casado (Diary of a Recently Married Poet).
• Sufi and Conceptual Era (1936-1958): Marked by conceptual depth and maximum hermetic style purification.

Rubén Darío: Nicaraguan Poet & Modernism Pioneer

Rubén Darío, born in Nicaragua in 1867, published numerous articles and verses. He faced economic problems and lived in many European and American cities. He died in León in 1916.

Manuel Machado: Sevillian Poet & Bohemian Life

Manuel Machado, born in Seville in 1874, had a liberal father who studied folklore. In his youth, he lived a disordered and bohemian life. In his poems, he often extolled love without compromise. He befriended Rubén Darío. The Spanish Civil War tragically separated him from his brother, Antonio Machado, as they found themselves on opposing sides in Madrid. He died in 1947.

Literary Avant-garde: Innovation & Artistic Fusion

Literary Avant-garde movements are a set of literary and artistic movements that emerged in the early 20th century. They are characterized by their aesthetic and playful nature, experimentation, irrationalism, and a formal break from all established rules. They sought to mix all arts, blending literature, music, movement, and painting. The most important movements were Futurism, Cubism, Dadaism, and Surrealism. Surrealism was the most productive movement, especially in painting. The most famous writer associated with this era is Ramón Gómez de la Serna, known for his Greguerías, which are metaphorical and humanistic compositions.

Futurism

The first Futurist Manifesto was published by Marinetti in 1909. Its favorite subjects included Italian advances and technology.

Cubism

Cubism had a greater impact on plastic arts, but also influenced literature. In literature, it adopted calligrams, which were poems where visual forms related to their content.

Dadaism

Its aim was the provocation of rebellion. Dadaism was short-lived but was the origin of one of the most important movements of the twentieth century: Surrealism.

Creationism

Initiated by Vicente Huidobro.