Spanish Poetry Masters: Guillén, Aleixandre, and Lorca

Jorge Guillén and the Cycle of Clamor

To designate them as current and actual, he uses the present tense. Clamor: Tiempo de historia is a cycle divided into three parts: Maremagnum (1957), Que van a dar en el mar (1960), and A la altura de las circunstancias (1963). They all see a change in the subjects, focus, and style: Guillén's awareness and protest against the pain caused by unfortunate historical circumstances, although, paradoxically, from a place of optimism. Homenaje is a celebration of famous people of the arts (Góngora, Fray Luis, etc.) who helped him in his intellectual maturity.

The Style and Influence of Jorge Guillén

Style: Guillén is the highest representative of pure poetry in his generation. He uses a highly developed and condensed language, seemingly simple through the use of a slightly convoluted syntax; however, Guillén felt some difficulty with the idea that all the verses of a poem should have the same relief and the same importance. Hence, the type provided with initial capital letters. In it, particular foreign flows converge with the purest Spanish tradition (Machado, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Unamuno...), especially as part of the critique of San Juan and Fray Luis, which give his poetry a certain air.

The Surrealist Works of Vicente Aleixandre

Vicente Aleixandre's Work is one of the most frequented by Spanish poets of Surrealism. It manifests a desire for integration and communication with the universal. This union is achieved by two main themes: love and death. His work is usually divided into three stages:

• Vanguard: Aleixandre assumed surreal postulates freely in the first stage of production, which focuses on imperfection, anguish, and human frailty. Aleixandre is shown as pantheistic, wanting to merge with nature as a way to participate in its harmony. These are found in the books like Ámbito (1928), which identified the fullness of love with death in a mystical way.
• Abandonment of Surrealism: There is a grand vision of human solidarity, and the poet aims to become the voice of the people.
• Metaphysical Period: The poet longs for youth and worries about the mystery of existence, the ultimate meaning of life, and the world.

The Stylistic Elements of Aleixandre

Style: His work highlights risky metaphors; used symbols are very abundant. Often, he utilizes verse repetition structures.

The Poetic Mastery of Federico García Lorca

Federico: Poetry: Lorca was a rigorous poet in whom inspiration wisely combined knowledge of many different authors and sources with compositional technique. Within his work is the ability to learn and absorb all kinds of poetry, alongside the ability to customize and embrace all influences.

Formal Qualities and Themes in Lorca's Work

Formally, his poetry appears united in its passion and perfection, the human and the aesthetically pure, the popular and the cultured. It attracts traditional poetry and Arabic poetry; inspiration in his work of popular themes includes impossible love, memories of games, and more.