Spanish Literature Since 1975: Key Trends and Authors

Spanish Literature Since 1975

It is not easy to draw the lines of Spanish literature in the years of democracy, first of all because it lacks historical perspective and has followed a variety of trends and currents. However, below are some of the characteristics of different genres in recent years.

Evolution of Spanish Poetry

Among the salient features of poetic trends of recent years, critics have pointed to intimacy, surrealism, and neo-romanticism. These currents are exemplified by the "Novísimos" (the brand new), who led avant-garde and experimental poetry in the so-called Venetian or culturalism movement. This movement was inspired by art and the most diverse cultural manifestations.

• Antonio Colinas: Some authors, such as Antonio Colinas, have drifted apart in recent years from the lines marked to lean toward human problems and metaphysics.
• Luis García Montero: Others have sought inspiration in everyday life and have made a credible and anti-vanguardist poetry, highlighting Luis García Montero.
• Neopurismo: There is also a neopurismo or poetry of silence that explores the poetic value of allusion and suggestion, with a language of great simplicity.

Narrative Trends in Democratic Spain

The most notable features of the narrative have been the recovery of the plot and the renewed appreciation for storytelling. The dominant aesthetic was that of a realism that attempts to give readers a realistic setting as a framework for the plausible individual concerns of the characters.

The rotation mentioned is visible in the following authors:

• Eduardo Mendoza: In 1975, he consolidated this shift with "The Truth About the Savolta Case."
• Manuel Vázquez Montalbán: Author of detective novels and works of historical reconstruction.
• Luis Landero: Triumphed with his first novel, "Games of the Late Age" (Juegos de la edad tardía), which told the story of a mediocre employee who poses as a writer.
• Javier Marías: An author of works that bring together refined taste and characters with a rich inner life.
• Julio Llamazares and Luis Mateo Díez: They have written evocative novels in prose that have reflected themes such as the loneliness of contemporary man and nostalgia for the loss of rural culture.
• Antonio Muñoz Molina: Characterized by the contrast and parallelism of several simultaneous intrigues.

Innovation in Contemporary Spanish Drama

The innovative spirit of experimental theater in the late sixties and early seventies fruited in the work of some great innovators of our drama:

• Francisco Nieva: Not only an important playwright, but a prestigious and innovative designer and an essayist of great interest.
• Fernando Arrabal: His modern desire and creative spirit have been recognized as an essential contribution to the Spanish stage; he is the creator of the so-called "Panic Theater."
• Fernando Fernán Gómez: In recent years, there has been some anti-vanguardist reaction, and theater has returned to a more conventional and accessible style with authors such as Fernán Gómez.