Spanish Poets: Lorca, Alberti, and Hernández - Life, Works, and Styles

Spanish Poets: Lorca, Alberti, and Hernández

This document examines the lives, works, and styles of three significant Spanish poets: Federico Garcia Lorca, Rafael Alberti, and Miguel Hernández.

Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936)

Lorca's work can be divided into three stages:

1. Early Stage: Characterized by intimate realism, difficult metaphors, and symbolism. Themes include passion, land, love's destruction, and shadows of paradise.
2. Post-Civil War: His writing becomes more humanistic and accessible.
3. Later Stage: A return to introspection and surrealist style, considered his most significant contribution to Spanish surrealism.

Lorca was born in Granada and tragically killed during the Spanish Civil War. His trip to New York exposed him to surrealism. His work is a unique blend of cultured and popular elements.

Key Works:

• 1918-1928: Popular Andalusian themes with tragic undertones, utilizing forms like the soleá and couplet. Examples include First Songs and Gypsy Ballads.
• 1929-1930: Closer to surrealism, protesting pain and dehumanization. Notable works include Poet in New York, Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, and Tamarit Divan.

Lorca also contributed to theater, creating the group La Barraca, and wrote tragedies like Blood Wedding, Yerma, and The House of Bernarda Alba.

Rafael Alberti (1902-2002)

Alberti's work is marked by a variety of styles, blending popular forms with avant-garde techniques. His career can be divided into four stages:

1. Early Stage: Poetry with popular Andalusian features. Works include Mariner on Land, The Lover, and Dawn of the Alelí.
2. 1927-1929: Incorporates avant-garde elements, exploring themes of death and failure. Examples include Cal and Song and Concerning the Angels.
3. 1930-1939: Social and political poetry, including Poetry in the Streets, The Carnation and the Sword.
4. Post-1939: Written in exile, focusing on nostalgia for his homeland.

Miguel Hernández (1910-1942)

Hernández, not strictly part of the Generation of '27, was a self-taught poet. He was imprisoned in 1939 and died of tuberculosis. His work can be categorized into three phases:

1. Early Stage: Blends Gongora's tradition with avant-garde elements. Perito en lunas is a key work from this period.
2. Central Theme: Love is a central theme, as seen in El rayo que no cesa.
3. Later Stage: Poetry serving his political ideas, collected in Viento del pueblo. In prison, he wrote Cancionero y romancero de ausencias, using popular forms to express war, pain, separation, and love for his wife.