NEOPOPULARISM: CHARACTERISTICS, REPRESENTATIVES AND WORKS - LITERATURE - 2025

The neopopularismo was poetic and literary related current with the known Generation of 27. In addition, its beginnings have been linked to the era of post - Romanticism, a movement emerged in the nineteenth century through the influence of some Spanish authors had of the German Heinrich Heine.

Neopopularism in Spain was also a consequence of the need to rescue the popular and traditional. Because during the early years of the 20th century they had been absorbed by the modernist and avant-garde currents, directed above all towards the universal and elite.

Monument to Gerardo Diego, one of the representatives of neopopularism. Source: JL de Diego, via Wikimedia Commons

This movement was mainly Andalusian, it was characterized by developing the meter of the verses in a similar way to that of traditional poetry, that is, to those that have passed from generations to others. It was also a sample of the spiritual feeling about the popular and ingrained.

Origin and precursors

Origin

The origin of neopopularism has been framed within the poetic works that were developed after romanticism, that is, in the post-romantic era that emerged in the nineteenth century. Spanish authors and writers were inspired by the German poet and essayist Heinrich Heine.

The movement grew, gaining momentum as currents such as Modernism and Vanguardism were gaining space, leaving aside the force of popular traditions. It was there that the need arose to renew one's own and traditionalist literature so that it would not be forgotten.

Precursors

The main precursors of neopopularism were Augusto Ferrán, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Rosalía de Castro. Each of them developed their poetic work within the so-called popular songs, culture and folklore of the main Spanish regions.

Other prominent writers

Within what was the neopopularista movement, and its intention to rescue and preserve the traditional and manners, the following Spanish intellectuals also took action previously:

• Antonio de Trueba, better known as Antón el de los Cantares, author of Libro de los Cantares (1852).
• Ventura Ruiz Aguilera, with his main work: Harmonies and songs (1865).
• Terencio Thos y Codina, writer, lawyer, politician, with his representative work Popular Weekly (1862-1863).
• Arístides Pongilioni y Villa, poet, his main work of neopopularist characteristics was Poetic Bursts (1865).
• Melchor de Palau, writer and engineer, represented in the movement with his work Cantares (1866).
• José Ruiz y Pérez, a post-romantic poet, developed the characteristics of neopopularism in his work Coplas y quejas (1869).

Precursors framed within the study of folklore

Among the precursors of neopopularism we must also mention those who dedicated themselves to studying traditions, folklore, culture and popular customs. Some of them were:

• Antonio Machado y Álvarez (1848-1893), writer, folklorist and anthropologist, father of the brothers Manuel and Antonio Machado.
• Francisco Rodríguez Marín (1855-1943), poet, folklorist, lexicologist and scholar of the work of Miguel de Cervantes.
• Federico Garcia Lorca
• Rafael Cansinos Asséns (1882-1964), writer, essayist, poet and literary critic, who kept neopopularism alive with some of his works, especially with the Spanish tune, a kind of brief act with a sarcastic tone, which was performed at the time of the Golden Age.
• Rafael Alberti

characteristics

Neopopularism was characterized by reproducing the traditional forms of popular Spanish songs of the 15th and 16th centuries. Its representatives did it through a profound change, both in the verses and in the themes, achieving with this, little by little, to overcome the Avant-garde and Modernism.

The language used in neopopular poetry was simple and direct, without being crude or clumsy, it was also characterized by being expressive, often sublime and sentimental. The topics developed were about landscape, culture, nature, dances, traditions.

The movement also had as characteristic elements the development and preference for free verses, and an excessive musicality. A short meter was incorporated, represented mainly by the sequence and the romance, that is, four and eight lines respectively.

Other of the peculiarities of neopopularism was the taste of its authors to develop themes of the Andalusian idiosyncrasy. It was also oriented to describe in such a way that the words became images, while balance, elegance, naturalness and passion were also present.

Representatives and their works

Federico García Lorca (1898-1936)

Federico García Lorca, representative of neopopularism. Source: Federico García Lorca, via Wikimedia Commons

He was a Spanish writer, poet, and playwright who belonged to the Generation of 27. His work has been one of the most prominent, influential and popular in 20th century literature; with a predominance of neopopularism, through the songs and traditional characteristics of his native Granada.

Within neopularism, his most outstanding works were:

- Romances 1918-1941 (1941).

Brief description of the most representative work

The bride's romance

It was the first book of the author, representative of the verses in metric romance. In his collection of poems, Gerardo Diego developed traditional themes, oriented a little towards telling and making his own life popular. The influence of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Juan Ramón Jiménez was notorious.

Fragment

"It was a sad night,

an inclement February night, I crossed the streets

alone with my boredom

while the rain incessantly fell

from the top of the sky.

Already the devout ones, hurried the step, they were returning from the temple ”.

Dámaso Alonso (1898-1990)

Dámaso Alonso was a Spanish writer, philologist and man of letters, as well as a member of the Royal Academy of History and the Royal Spanish Academy. Although he has been considered part of the Generation of '27, he has also been included within the generation of poets immediately after the war.

His literary work was characterized by its creative capacity, as well as by the presence of existential and aesthetic features. His early works were influenced by the writer Juan Ramón Jiménez and his pure poetry, and then he moved on to a poetry of uprooting that was more reflective.

Among the most representative works of neopopularism were the following:

- Pure poems. Poemillas of the city (1921).

- The wind and the verse (1925).

Brief description of the most representative work

Pure poems. Poemillas of the city

It was Alonso's first work, with a marked influence from Juan Ramón Jiménez, within what was pure poetry. In them he used a simple and clear language, he also made use of free verses, characteristic of neopopularism, as well as he developed the sonnets.

Fragment of "How was it?"

“The safe door.

Wine remains and smooth.

Neither matter nor spirit. Brought

a slight inclination of the nave, and a morning light of clear day.

It wasn't about rhythm, it wasn't about harmony

nor color. The heart knows it

but to say how it was could not

because it is not a form, nor does it fit… ”.

References

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