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Spanish Literature
As one of the world's most important language, Spanish has a rich literature. Here you can learn more about Spanish-language novels, drama, short stories and poetry.
Early Works in Castilian Spanish
The epic poem Cantar de Mío Cid is the famous early classic of Spanish literature, deals with the life and deeds of the national hero, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, called the Cid Campeador.
In the 14th cent. the most important writers were López de Ayala, the prince Don Juan Manuel, nephew of King Alfonso X, whose Libro de los exemplos del conde Lucanor et de Patronio was the first book of short stories in Spanish; and the satirical poet Juan Ruiz.
The Renaissance and the Golden Age of Spanish Literature
The spirit of the Renaissance had been invading Spanish letters, and Spain had also become a dominant European power. In the reign of Emperor Charles V, the first picaresque novel, Lazarillo de Tormes, was published in 1554; the identity of its author has remained a mystery.
The latter part of the 16th cent. and most of the 17th cent. made up the great era of Spanish literature, known as the Golden Age. The chief prose monument of the Golden Age, and one of the masterpieces of world literature, is the novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
The Golden Age also produced many playwrights. Lope de Vega Carpio, Tirso de Molina, Guillén de Castro y Bellvís, and Juan Ruiz de Alarcón. Calderón de la Barca was the last and probably the best dramatist of the epoch.
Neoclassic Literature
In the 18th cent. French neoclassicism was a powerful influence on Spanish literature. Three authors stood out as notable exceptions in the midst of a general decline in literary creativity: Leandro Fernández de Moratín, Ramón de la Cruz, and the poet Juan Meléndez Valdés.
The Romanticism
In 1833, with the death of Fernando VII, romanticism swept the country like a grass fire; its ascendancy was dramatic but superficial. Much of the work of the leading romantic authors, Ángel de Saavedra, duque de Rivas, José de Espronceda, and José Zorrilla y Moral displayed originality in his admirable satirical sketches.
Two post-romantic poets were Rosalía de Castro (writing in Galician) and Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer.
Late-Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century Movements
Benito Pérez Galdós dominated the realistic novel during the second half of the 19th cent., but Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, José María de Pereda, Armando Palacio Valdés, Juan Valera y Alcalá Galiano, and Emilia Pardo Bazán also wrote notable fiction.
It was in poetry, however, that Spanish literature produced its greatest achievements. The lyrics of Antonio Machado and of the great Juan Ramón Jiménez are among the finest in the language. José Moreno Villa, Rafael Alberti, Vicente Aleixandre, Luis Cernuda, Jorge Guillén, Dámaso Alonso, and many others formed a brilliant constellation of poets, but the most engaging figure was that of the poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca.
Generation of ‘98
At the end of the century the writers of the Generation of ‘98, set out to reevaluate and revitalize the cultural life of Spain. Miguel de Unamuno, as essayist, poet, novelist, and educator, emphasized the quixotic aspect of Spanish values and exerted great influence on Spanish youth. Azorín created memorable impressionistic sketches. Ramón del Valle Inclán brought a poetic sense of the fantastic and the bizarre to his novels and plays. Pío Baroja y Nessi infused his novels with a fierce independence of spirit that rejected all traditional values and sought to arouse people to action.
The Spanish Civil War to the Present
During the Spanish civil war many writers as Salinas, Guillén, Juan Larrea, and others went into exile. Among the novelists to emerge after the Spanish civil war were Nobel Prize winner Camilo José Cela, Carman Laforet, and José María Gironella. Salvador de Madariaga became known as a biographer and historian. In the 1950s and 60s a gradual return to political and literary normality was noticeable.
Writers whose literary reputations have been established since World War II include the novelists Max Aub, Miguel Delibes, Juan Goytisolo, Ana María Matute, Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio, Luís Martín-Santos, and Gonzalo Torrente-Ballester; the poets Manuel Altoaguirre and Gerardo Diego; and the playwrights Antonia Buero Vallejo, Alejandro Casona, and Alfonso Sastre.
Reflecting Western European developments, post-Franco Spanish writing has been marked by a great deal of formal experimentation. Among the important novelists are Juan Benet, Carmen-Martín-Gaite, Eduardo Mendonza, Soledad Puértolas, Carmen Riera, and Ana Maria Moix. Dramatists include Férnando Arrabel, Antonio Gala, Fermín Cabal, and Alonso de Santos. Among the poets are Ana Rossetti, Antonio Carvajal, Guillermo Carnero, Jaime Silas, and Antonio de Villena.