Spanish Poetry Movements: 1950s to Present

1950s: Social Poetry

Poets felt the need to provide critical testimony of the reality and adopt an attitude of commitment to the situation that existed in Spain. Cantos Iberians by Gabriel Celaya and I Ask for Peace and the Word by Blas de Otero, published in 1955, stand out.

As for the themes, we must highlight the issue of Spain, social injustice, and alienation. The language is clear, and the tone is colloquial.

1960s: Poetry of Knowledge

By the end of the 1950s, a group of poets emerged seeking further elaboration of poetic language and a shift from the collective to the personal. They defended the idea of the poem as an act of knowledge.

• Barcelona Group: Jose Agustin Goytisolo, Jaime Gil de Viedma, among others.
• Madrid Group: Claudio Rodriguez, Jose Angel Valente, and others.

Although each poet follows their trajectory, certain common themes can be detected:

• The passage of time, showing the transience of life.
• Love: Poems that reflect individual experiences. Friendship.
• The creation of poetry: Reflection on poetry.
• Reaction to the previous rhetoricity.

1970s: The Novisimos

In 1970, Joseph Maria Castellet published an anthology titled Nine Newest Spanish Poets.

Two features characterize this group:

• Combining the popular with rock art, film, TV, etc.
• Preference for European and Latin American literature.

In the subject matter, we find the personal alongside the public. Urban culture appears. In style, the renewal of poetic language is their goal.

Latest Trends

• Culturalism: Poetry inspired by poetry itself. Antonio Colinas stands out.
• Classicism: Mixing tradition with Greco-Roman decadence. Luis Antonio de Villena.
• Pure Poetry, Minimalist: Poetry marked by intellectual nature. Jaime Siles, Andres Sanchez Robayna.
• Poetry of Experience: Expression of the intimate and individual. Notable authors include Justo Navarro, Cesar Antonio Molina, etc.
• One of the most important groups of this trend is formed by the Andalusian poets of "The Other Sentimentality."
• Poetry of Silence: Conceptualism and intellectual density expressed in short, concentrated texts. Alvaro Valverde, Amparo Amoros.
• Highlighting important female voices, very different from each other: Ana Rossetti, Almudena Guzman, Ada Salas, etc.

Romanticism

Romanticism was a cultural and artistic movement that originated in France and England between the end of the 18th century and the early 19th century. It spread throughout Europe and represented the beginning of modernity.

Characteristics of Romanticism

• Freedom: Romanticism defended the freedom of the individual: moral, social, political, and artistic freedom.
• Subjectivism: Romanticism exalted the importance of the individual and their particular vision of the world. The writer feels concern for human types rejected by society (pirates, etc.).
• Historicism: The Romantics claimed the historical character of the various cultures that were within the State, such as Catalan or Galician in Spain.
• Interest in medieval literature, folklore, popular traditions, and Baroque theater. The myth of Don Juan.
• Irrationalism and Evasion: Superstitions and legends are valued, incorporating fantasy and a desire for mystery into literature. The fantasy of escape led to exoticism, distant cultures, and idealization of the past.

Themes and Styles

Themes include freedom, power and justice, the meaning of life and the silence of God, love, and the fate of humanity.

Romantic writers vindicated various registers and styles. They included colloquialisms and neologisms. In the style of the statement, the use of exclamations stands out to express the mood. The lexicon and linguistic resources dominated to express sentimental emotions.