The Generation of ’27
The Generation of ’27 was a group of Spanish poets and writers who combined the Spanish literary tradition with avant-garde experimentation and produced some of the most important literature of the 20th century.
This influential group of writers arose in Spanish literary circles between 1923 and 1927 and many of those associated with this group are considered among the greatest literary figures of the so-called Silver Age of Spanish Literature.
Their first formal meeting took place at the Ateneo de Sevilla in the Andalucian capital in December 1927 to mark the 300th anniversary of the death of the Cordovan baroque poet Luis de Góngora (1561-1627). This gathering retrospectively became the foundational act of the movement, bringing together writers including Federico García Lorca, Rafael Alberti, Jorge Guillén, Dámaso Alonso, Gerardo Diego and José Bergamín. The famous photograph, which became a kind of visual symbol of the Generation of ’27, shows just five of the main members of the group. The photograph was taken during the foundational act, but it was apparently not taken inside the Ateneo's premises, as is often claimed. Although the institution organised the events, the actual sessions were held in the ‘salón de actos’ of the Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País, a historical, artistic and literary institution.
Located at the time in Calle Tetuán, the Ateneo de Sevilla cultural centre promoted the most avant-garde intellectual and literary movements during the late 19th and throughout the 20th centuries. Although this institution is now located in Calle Orfila, Seville council is currently installing bronze plaques on the floor of Calle Tetuán to mark the centenary of this historic meeting.
The Generation of ’27 had a significant impact beyond Spain. They influenced writers by participating in a transatlantic network of avant-garde journals, friendships and literary exchanges, particularly with Latin American writers such as Pablo Neruda, Vicente Huidobro and Jorge Luis Borges. The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) then expanded this international influence as members of the generation went into exile.
Many of this literary circle fled Spain during the outbreak of the war, unlike Lorca, who was executed by Nationalist supporters in Granada on 18 August 1936. Among those who decided to go into exile was Jorge Guillén, who headed to the USA; Rafael Alberti, who settled in Argentina for 20 years, before heading other parts of South America and eventually to Italy; and Luis Cernuda, who first went to the UK, and then began exile in Mexico until his death in 1963.
The Generation of '27, sometimes referred to as the Generation of the Dictatorship and Generation of the Republic, generally refers to ten authors, Jorge Guillén, Pedro Salinas, Rafael Alberti, Federico García Lorca, Dámaso Alonso, Gerardo Diego, Luis Cernuda, Vicente Aleixandre, Manuel Altolaguirre and Emilio Prados, although many others have been associated with the group.
Most of the writers were born within a period of no more than 17 years, but not all of those born during that time have considered themselves members of the group.
Yet what distinguishes this group is the singularity of its members: each transformed the influences of its models into a wholly personal expression, distinct from that of the others. Thus, they cannot be said to constitute a stylistic school or unified movement. The Generation of ‘27 sought freedom in poetic expression and were influenced by authors such as Góngora, Garcilaso de la Vega and popular Spanish poetry, and they incorporated ideas from movements such as Surrealism, Futurism and Ultraism.
Their poetry used striking and imaginative language, incorporating universal themes such as love, death, nature, loneliness, identity and social concerns. Some of the most famous works produced by this generation include Alberti’s Marinero en tierra (Sailor on land), Cernuda’s La realidad y el deseo (Reality and desire), Guillén’s Cántico (Chant), Prados’ El misterio del agua (The mystery of water), and, of course, works such as Romancero Gitano (Gypsy ballads) and Bodas de Sangre (Blood wedding) by Lorca.
The cultural networks of the Generation of '27 also included numerous women, such as the philosopher and essayist, María Zambrano, poet and playwright Concha Méndez-Cuesta and writer María Teresa León, among others. There are numerous monuments, plaques or parks dedicated to the literary group scattered throughout the region, although most are references to where members were born or died. Seville is the essential Generation of ’27 city.
The Jardines de Cristina / Monumento a la Generación del 27, next to Puerta de Jerez, in the centre of Seville, is probably the best single outdoor monument. The garden contains monuments, plaques and references to several members of the group, including Lorca, Alberti, Cernuda, Aleixandre, Salinas and Guillén. There is also an adjacent marble fountain bearing the group’s name.
Málaga has a particularly strong connection through poets such as Emilio Prados and Manuel Altolaguirre, which is why it boasts the Centro Cultural de la Generación del 27 (Calle Parras, 34), a documentary archive with more than 35,000 records and first editions of authors from the Generation of '27.
Both Seville and Málaga are organising cultural and literary activities, along with exhibitions and presentations, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Generation of ’27, a group that revolutionised Spanish poetry by creating a modern, innovative literary style that shaped 20th-century Spanish literature.