Spanish Poetry of the 1940s and 1950s: Rooted, Uprooted and Social Movements

Summary

This document outlines the main Spanish poetry movements of the 1940s and 1950s, including Rooted and Uprooted poetry, Postismo and Cántico, and Social Poetry. It introduces key authors such as Miguel Hernández, Dámaso Alonso, Blas de Otero and Gabriel Celaya, and the magazines and works that shaped each trend.

Key points

Miguel Hernández (1910-1942) moved from love and life themes to popular, patriotic and prison-related poems such as Cancionero y romancero de ausencias.
Rooted poetry (Poesía Arraigada), linked to Garcilaso and Escorial, used heroic, religious and love themes in forms derived from Golden Age verse.
Uprooted poetry (Poesía Desarraigada) expressed chaos, anguish and existentialist despair, rejecting classical aestheticism; Dámaso Alonso's Hijos de la ira (1944) inaugurated it.
Espadaña, founded in 1944 by Victoriano Crémer and Eugenio de Nora, arose as a reaction against Garcilaso.
Grupo Cántico of Córdoba, formed in 1947 around the magazine Cántico, sought poetic purity in language and themes.
Social Realism solidified in 1955, treating poetry as communication and a tool to denounce and transform Spain's social reality.

Test yourself

Spanish Poetry of the 1940s and 1950s

Miguel Hernández (1910-1942)

From Perito en lunas and El rayo que no cesa, the poet began to address his core subjects: life, love, and death. He wrote Viento del pueblo, featuring a popular style with patriotic and martial themes. Cancionero y romancero de ausencias is a collection of simple poems about prison, anxiety over the fate of his wife and son, the pain of his deceased child, and death in war-torn Spain.

Poetry of the 1940s: Rooted vs. Uprooted

Two main groups emerged:

Rooted Poetry (Poesía Arraigada)

Poets from the group calling themselves "Juventud Creadora" gathered around the magazines Garcilaso and Escorial. Its features include:

Heroic or imperialist subjects alongside love and religious themes.
Forms derived from the classical verse of the Golden Age.

Authors: Dionisio Ridruejo, Leopoldo Panero, and Luis Rosales.

Uprooted Poetry (Poesía Desarraigada)

Its expression is one of chaos, anguish, and a frantic search for an anchor or meaning. Religion is present but adopts a tone of despair, manifesting in invocations and imprecations to God regarding the mystery of human suffering. It has an existentialist approach. This poetry demands more freedom and independence from classical metrics and themes. It uses classical meters alternated with other forms and themes that challenge Garcilaso-style aestheticism.

In 1944, two key works were published:

Sombra del Paraíso by Vicente Aleixandre
Hijos de la ira by Dámaso Alonso

Dámaso Alonso inaugurated uprooted poetry, reflecting:

The despair of modern man
Dehumanizing civilization
The world as a cruel reality filled with atrocities

In 1944, Victoriano Crémer and Eugenio de Nora founded the magazine Espadaña, born as a reaction against Garcilaso.

Postismo and Cántico

Postismo

Founded by Carlos Edmundo de Ory, Postismo links with avant-garde poetry.

Cántico

The Grupo Cántico of Córdoba formed around the magazine "Cántico" in 1947. This group represents an aesthetic trend, seeking poetic purity in language and themes. Pablo García Baena is a notable figure.

Social Poetry of the 1950s

In 1955, Social Realism solidified. It starts from the notion of poetry as communication. It aims to be a truthful witness to Spain's historical and social reality in order to denounce and transform it. Poetry becomes an instrument for fighting for justice and a weapon to change the world.

There is a clear dominance of content over formal aspects. Poets reject aesthetic luxuries and speak of:

Social injustice
Lack of freedom
The world of labor in Spain

Two key books represent this movement:

Pido la paz y la palabra by Blas de Otero
Cantos Íberos by Gabriel Celaya

Vicente Aleixandre wrote Historia del corazón, marking a decisive turn in his work by focusing on the idea of solidarity.

FAQ

What is the difference between Rooted and Uprooted poetry?

Rooted poetry followed the classical verse and heroic, religious and love themes of the Golden Age. Uprooted poetry expressed chaos, anguish and existentialist despair and demanded more freedom from classical metrics and themes.

Which books inaugurated Uprooted poetry in 1944?

Dámaso Alonso's Hijos de la ira is considered to have inaugurated uprooted poetry, and in the same year Vicente Aleixandre published Sombra del Paraíso.

What are the main themes of Social Poetry in the 1950s?

Social poetry focused on social injustice, lack of freedom and the world of labor in Spain. It rejected aesthetic luxuries in favor of content that denounced and sought to change reality.