Spanish Literary Works
Today, Spain is known as one of the most fascinating places to visit due to its rich history. It is a great place to vacation to see how this small country helped shape the world as we see it today. It was a civilization that was sought after by many people throughout history. There were Romans, Carthaginians, and Arabs all wanting a piece of this territory as well as Catholic monarchs. It became one of the most powerful empires of its time, but eventually collapsed in the 19th century due to other political arenas and agendas throughout the world. Spanish-Castle Not only has Spain given us all a rich world history, but it has also produced some of the greatest writers of all time and has contributed immensely to literature. Spanish writers have a long literary tradition both in Spain and in many Latin American countries. These authors have long used language as a way of expressing their thoughts and political views throughout time and this art is even more prolific today.
Influences of Writing
As in other cultures, a Spanish authors’ literary works reflected the times in which he lived. Great times of influences were the Middle Ages, Pre-Renaissance Period, Baroque Period, Enlightenment Period, Romanticism Period, and the Realism Period.
Popular poems from the Middle Ages encompassed those sung by commoners as well as those sung in the courts of the nobles. During the Renaissance Period there were poets such as Garcilaso de la Vega, San Juan de la Cruz, and Santa Teresa de Jesus. This poetry mostly focused on classical elements and simplicity. The 17th century Baroque Period brought pessimism and disillusion and is considered by many to be comprised of rhetorical and twisted writings; however, it seemed to be the mantra of that time and literature works simply showed this point of view. This brought about writers such as Miguel de Cervantes and poets Luis de Gongora.
The world then moved into the Enlightenment Period of the 18th Century and thus Spain brought forth some of the best story tellers. Authors such as Tomas de Iriarte and Felix Maria Samaniego were born. This time period produced writers that had a different outlook on life and were not as negative as those coming from the Renaissance Period. The Enlightenment Period writers became more focused on the essay and satire of that time and moved into neoclassicism (writings influenced by the ancient Greek and Roman arts).
Eventually we entered into the 19th century early Romanticism Period which focused more on self, passionate love, social demands, nature, and religion. This period created writers such as the poet Jose de Espronceda and novelist Mariano Jose de Larra.
As the late 19th century moved forward, the Realism Period came to fruition. The writings of this period depicted contemporary life and society as it was. It moved away from things that did not portray the “actual.” A few Spanish writers of that time were Juan Valera, Emilia Pardo Bazan, Leopoldo Alas, and Vicente Blasco Ibanez. Poets were José Zorrilla, Gaspar Nunez de Arce and Menendez Pelayo.
Biographies of Well Known Authors from Spain
One of the most well known and creative authors was Miguel de Cervantes who published his novel Don Quijote de la Mancha in 1580. Today, this is still a very much read novel. Although a great writer, he lived a difficult life and one of poverty. It appears that he lived a very unsettled life and (with his parents) he was constantly moving. He didn’t have much education and eventually joined the Spanish Infantry. Eventually he would suffer a wound to the chest and to his left hand. On his passage home, pirates captured the vessel and as a result he was enslaved for five years. Eventually he was released due to ransoms paid. He married, had a child out of wedlock and was even suspected of murder; although, he was never formally tried. In addition to his novel, he is also known to have written many plays and short stories. He died in 1616.
At the turn of the century we had writers such as Miguel de Unamuno. He was a poet, a novelist, a philosopher, and a playwright. He was born in 1864 in Barque, Spain. Throughout his life he published many essays on metaphysics, religion, travel, and politics. He also wrote 10 novels and many plays. Some of his great works are Del Sentimiento Trágico de la Vida en los hombres y en los pueblo (The Tragic Sense of Life) published in 1913. Another one is San Manuel Bueno, mártir (Saint Manuel the Good, Martyr) published in 1930. Unamuno lived in Spain and attended the University of Madrid where he studied many languages and philosophy. He obtained a PhD in 1884. Unamuno is known for criticizing the regime of General Miguel Primo de Rivera and was eventually forced to live in exile in the Canary Islands and then Paris. After the fall of the general’s regime, he later returned to Spain as a critically acclaimed author. He again stood up against the political powers in place of that time and was put under house arrest. He died in 1936.
In 1898, Vicente Aleixandre was born. Throughout Spain, he is known as a great poet winning much accolades and international recognition. He is known for winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. Throughout his life, he lived in Malaga and Madrid. About 1922, he worked for the Andalusian Railways but became very sick and nearly an invalid. He then moved to Madrid, began his life of solitude, and developed his writing career even more extensively and with passion. He had many writings throughout his life; however, some of the most notable are Ambito (poems). He passed away in 1984.
We also have Emilia Pardo Bazan who is a highly respected scholar and is known for her stories in the genre of creative writing. One of her most famous books is Temprano y Conso which is a popular fiction novel. She lived from 1851 to 1921. More currently, we have Miguelanxo Prado. As you will note with this author, writing in Spain is not always taken so seriously. Miguelanxo Prado is a famous comic book writer. His comics are enjoyed by the people of Spain as they deal with social issues, but can also be light hearted and easy to read. Before he ventured into the comic world, Prado studied architecture, was a painter, and then a writer. Today he is best known for the comic book Trazo de Tiza or Trait de Craie published in 1992. This comic story is about a man that lives on an island and can’t distinguish from a dream-like existence and true reality. He also had an animated feature, De Profundis, released in 2007.
In addition, we also have Miguel Rivas who is an author and a poet from Spain. He began by writing for a local newspaper until he was able to get his work published. Some of his writings, such as A Lingua Das Bolboretas, have been made into movies.
There is a plethora of well known authors, both historical and modern, that it would be impossible to list them all. Here is a list of just a few. (Nineteen) 19th century writers are: Pedro Antonio de Alarcon, Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, Jose Maria Blanco-White, Vicente Blasco Ibanez, and Rosalia de Castro. (Twenty) 20th century writers are: Rafael Alberti, Ignacio Aldecoa, Joaquin Aderius, Carlos Be, Gabriela Bustelo, Espido Freire, Javier Marias and Antonio Munoz Molina.
Outreach and Publishing
Spanish writers do not keep their best works in Spain alone. Many writers have had their works published in other languages so people throughout the world can enjoy their writings. One such author is Almundena Grandes. She won an award for an erotic novel called Las Edades de Lulu. There have been movies made from her writings, which include Bigas Luna and Malena es un Nombre de Tango. She continues to write literature for Spanish audiences as well as for people around the world.
It is no easy feat for a Spanish author to get their work published. Many authors start off by first writing for local papers and other local publications. Once a person becomes somewhat established, they are then more able to obtain a publishing contract. For those that have not had any type of work published it can be very difficult. As in other countries, a writer often has to send their work to several publishers before they can get published. It can be difficult to get started but once a person is established, they can have a long and healthy career as a writer in Spain.
