Spanish Narrative Evolution: 1930s to 1960s

Spanish Narrative: 1930s to 1960s

The 1930s: Rehumanization and Exile

The novels of the 1930s, much like poetry, moved towards rehumanization and social commitment, contrasting with the dehumanization of the 1920s. Authors like Francisco Ayala and Rosa Chacel championed this trend. Their support for the Republic led to their exile after the war, and their work, developed outside Spain, often emphasized themes of war.

The Early Post-War Years

The cultural landscape in 1939 was bleak. Many writers were in exile, and censorship heavily restricted literary expression, making explicit denunciation impossible. Exceptional figures like Torrente Ballester, Camilo José Cela, Carmen Laforet, and Miguel Delibes emerged in the 1940s, embodying two main tendencies: existentialism and tremendismo.

Existentialist Novels

Existentialism became a central theme. Disorientation, hostility, and anxiety permeated novels of this period.

• 1944: Nada by Carmen Laforet: Explores daily life steeped in isolation and disappointment.
• 1947: The Shade of the Cypress is Long by Miguel Delibes: A novel imbued with existential concerns, such as the obsession with death and unhappiness.

Tremendismo

Tremendismo novels depicted the most brutal aspects of reality to reflect on the human condition.

• 1944: The Family of Pascual Duarte by Camilo José Cela: Chronicles a series of crimes and atrocities, made plausible by the character and setting.

The 1950s: Social Realism

With the Cold War, Spain began to emerge from isolation. Tourism and industrial development brought economic recovery and lifestyle changes. Many consider Cela's The Hive (1951) a precursor to the social novel, reflecting the realities of the immediate post-war period. Two main trends emerged:

• Neo-realism: Focused on individual problems like loneliness and frustration. Key authors include Ana María Matute, Ignacio Aldecoa (The Brilliance and Blood), Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio (El Jarama, 1956), and Carmen Martín Gaite (Between Curtains).
• Social Realism: Focused on social group issues. Key authors include Jesús Fernández Santos (The Brave, 1954), Jesús López Pacheco (Central Electric), Juan García Hortelano (Friendly Caves, 1959; Summer Storm), and Armando López Salinas (The Mine).

These novels, with their simple language and narrative techniques, aimed to reach a wide audience, portraying the harshness of rural life and the challenges of peasants transitioning into industrial workers.

The 1960s: Social Concern and Experimentation

The 1960s saw a decline in social realism and a shift towards experimentation. Authors like Juan Goytisolo and Luis Goytisolo led this change. Several factors contributed:

1. Influence of European (Proust, Kafka, Joyce), American (Faulkner, Dos Passos), and Latin American (Vargas Llosa, Cortázar, García Márquez) writers.
2. Increased novel complexity, targeting a more intellectually prepared readership.
3. Experimentation in spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, and genre mixing.
4. Focus not only on social denunciation but also on new forms and elements like perspectivism, interior monologue, and temporal shifts.

Time of Silence (1962) by Luis Martín Santos and Marks of Identity (1966) by Juan Goytisolo are considered models of these new trends.