Spanish Literary Movements: Novecentismo and Postwar Fiction (1939–1950)

Literary Movements in 20th-Century Spanish Prose

Azorín and Unamuno: Stylistic Innovations

Azorín's prose is dominated by simple sentences. Furthermore, the structure of novels was refreshing; for example, Unamuno chose to call his original stories nivolas.

Novecentismo (The 1900s Movement)

3.1 General Characteristics and Ideals

The ideas of Novecentismo have their roots in bourgeois reformism and the defense of republican ideals. The movement involved the appearance of a new type of intellectual discipline: a solid, college-preparatory education expanded abroad. Hence, Novecentists favored a disciplined and sober examination of problems, claiming objectivity and rationalist clarity, aimed at training minorities.

There are frequent statements of anti-romanticism and a fervor for the classic. They cater to the universal, refusing to retreat into the national, and prefer the urban to the rural.

The Problem of Spain and Elitism

The problem of Spain is still very present, and although approached from a somewhat more rigorous and serene perspective, a centralist conception of Spain survives among the Noucentists. Other common themes include the idea of revolution from power (regeneration) and an elitist viewpoint.

Novecentista Style

In style, they reject sentimentality, romanticism, and passionate exaltation, favoring classical development and gaiety. Therefore, there is an abandonment of interjections and a passionate and vehement tone. This literature is typically intellectual, aimed at minorities, leading to the ideal of pure art, where fundamental concern lies with language and forms.

The Novel and Society in Postwar Spain (1939–1950)

Between 1939 and 1950, given the dramatic circumstances, the novels of Baroja, and more specifically The Search, served as a model for many of the narrators of what has been called the Generation of '40.

Key Postwar Novels and Themes

Two dates could be identified as significant:

• 1942: The Family of Pascual Duarte by Camilo José Cela, a sour view of realities described as wretched and brutal tremendismo.
• 1945: Nothing by Carmen Laforet (Nadal Award winner), which depicts a girl living with relatives in a sordid environment of hysteria, failed dreams, and emptiness.
• 1947: The Shadow of the Cypress is Long by Miguel Delibes.

Characteristics of the Postwar Novel

The postwar novel is characterized by:

• The bitter reflection of everyday life.
• A focus on existential angst, with themes such as loneliness, inadequacy, frustration, and death.
• The abundance of marginal, uprooted, disoriented, and distressed characters.

Another novelist of this current is Zunzunegui. Beyond these features, there were writers who celebrated military victory, in novels like The Faithful Infantry.