Spanish Post-War Poetry: Aleixandre & Blas de Otero

Two Survivors from the Generation of '27: Vicente Aleixandre and Blas de Otero

Vicente Aleixandre

*Sons of Wrath* (1944)

*Sons of Wrath* was published in 1944. Its main theme is the human being, immersed in a world full of unknowns, indecipherable and hostile. It uses a language that can be considered ugly, but it is also surprising and hurtful. An everyday language that produces sadness, but also fear, loathing, and sometimes tenderness.

In *Insomnia*, the first poem of the book, the author expresses the anguish of loneliness and abandonment she feels in a world that she does not quite understand. She rebukes God, but God is silent.

*Shadow of Paradise* (1944)

This work also appeared in 1944. One could say that it is a hymn to light from darkness. The theme of the book is the universe, creating a heavenly world where the elements of nature and beauty radiate. At the center of the poet's vision is love.

Social Realism in Poetry

In the 1940s and 1950s, poets were no longer considered a privileged class. Social realism in poetry became a way to describe a testimonial poetry, to denounce injustice, aimed at the vast majority, culminating in the 1950s. Poetry became a tool to transform the world. This led poets to see Antonio Machado as their undisputed master.

Some of the representatives of this movement include Gabriel Celaya and Blas de Otero.

Blas de Otero

Born in Bilbao in 1916 and died in Madrid in 1979, Blas de Otero's work reflects the issues of concern to poets of the period: God, man, Spain, life, death, pain, and misery.

His early poetry is often referred to as uprooted poetry. It reflects the anguish that comes in the context of war, where human beings know their mortal and immortal longing, but God does not answer.

*I Ask for Peace and the Word* (1955)

This work was published in 1955. Since God does not respond, the poet turns to the people and will defend rehumanization. He will use his voice against the dictatorship and will address the vast majority. He will defend peace at all costs.

Postismo

Postismo emerged in 1945 as a surreal, avant-garde poetic movement of short duration. It was the result of a profound movement.