Spanish Poetry Movements: Commitment and Knowledge (1950-1960)

Spanish Poetry: The 1950s and the Promotion of '60

The Poetry of Social Commitment (The 1950s)

This movement understood poetry primarily as communication. Its themes, which dominated the 1950s and even the mid-1960s, included:

• Calls to action and the defense of socialist and communist ideologies.
• Direct references to the Spanish Civil War.
• Criticism of capitalism and ideological manipulation.
• Anti-Franco sarcasm.

Key Figures of the 1950s

José Hierro

Hierro constantly blends surrealism with existential reflection and irony, focusing on the theme of paradise lost and the fall of man, whether in its personal or social dimension. His work, especially Cinco de la 42, is highly regarded.

Gabriel Celaya

Celaya rebelled against what he termed the “language of poets' poets” to embrace the poetry of complaint and commitment. This stage began with Cartas boca arriba (1951) and culminated in Cantos iberos (1955).

The Promotion of '60: A Reaction

The initial quality of social poetry eventually resulted in thematic dogmatism, full of militant clichés, offering limited artistic possibilities. A group of poets, some initially belonging to the Generation of '50, reacted against this stagnation. They were subsequently called “The Promotion of '60.”

Discarding Rhetorical Ballast

Francisco Ribes's anthology collected compositions from writers moving past this stage, aiming to discard the rhetorical ballast of “emergency poetry.”

Poets such as José Ángel Valente and Claudio Rodríguez openly presented their disagreements regarding the true beauty and social utility of poetry. They rejected the previous generation's view of poetry as a mere vehicle of communication, instead understanding it as a vehicle of knowledge, aligning with the tradition of Machado.

Characteristics of the '60s Style

The poetry of Valente and Rodríguez returned to classical forms, musicality, and formal beauty. This style is sometimes referred to as realistic poetry because it attempts to penetrate reality, interpret the landscape, or understand the poet himself, seeking to unravel mystery and expose beauty.

This conception of poetry as knowledge was inherited from figures like Machado or Cernuda. Key characteristics include the usual presence of:

• The intimate and subjective.
• The theme of memory and personal experience.