PEDRO GARCÍA CABRERA: BIOGRAPHY, STYLE AND WORKS - LITERATURE - 2025

Pedro García Cabrera (1905-1981) was a Spanish poet and journalist who was part of the renowned Generation of 27. From an early age he had contact with the great classics of literature, after family gatherings where poems by Rubén Darío or Gustavo were recited Adolfo Bécquer.

García Cabrera's work was oriented to surrealism, and most of the time it was aimed at criticism and social denunciation regarding what was happening in his time. The literary work of the writer has been considered popular due to its characteristics and scope.

Image source: eldia.es

The author covered the development of various literary genres, such as poetry, article, story, among others, and all agreed on the issue of freedom. On the other hand, Pedro García Cabrera also stood out in the world of politics through various positions.

Biography

Writer's birth and family

Pedro was born on August 19, 1905 in Vallehermoso, La Gomera-Canarias, in a cultured family nucleus. His parents were Pedro García Sánchez, a primary school teacher, and Petra Cabrera Fernández. The writer was the oldest of the brothers.

García Cabrera's passion and talent for letters, perhaps came from the meetings that his family held around the declamation of the verses of renowned poets, and songs of popular themes. The romances, the verses and the Spanish guitar were the ideal complements.

García Cabreras Education

Pedro García's first years of primary education were spent in Seville, a city to which he moved with his family in 1913, when he was seven years old. Two years later, he returned to his hometown, and continued his studies at a private school.

During the school years García frequented social gatherings and took part in literary readings. In 1921, for reasons of her father's work, the family went to live in San Andrés, Tenerife. There the poet attended the baccalaureate at the General and Technical Institute of the Canary Islands, and finished it at the Second School of Santa Cruz.

First publications

García Cabrera began publishing in the weekly La Voz de Junonia in 1922, when he was just a high school student. Three years later, The Legend of the Goldfinch, his first poem, was published in the newspaper La Gaceta de Tenerife.

In 1926 the magazine Hespérides opened the doors to publish his essays. Some titles that were published there were: Is the form imperfect? And Reading Urrutia. It was at this time that the writer began to develop avant-garde characteristics, and left aside the modernist and romantic features.

Political and social actions from writing

In 1928 García Cabrera was part of the artistic collective Pajaritas de Papel, where he developed some theatrical parodies. Two years later, together with intellectuals of that time, he founded the literary magazine Cartones, whose first edition was 200 copies.

In August 1930 the writer began to direct the nascent newspaper Altavoz, whose objective was to defend the rights of society in Tenerife. From the letters, Cabrera fought for La Gomera to have the same development as other localities, from education to infrastructure works.

Political offices and

In 1930 the political spirit of Pedro García led him to formalize his membership in the Spanish Socialist Workers Party. From then on, he began to hold positions as counselor of the Tenerife Island Council, tourism commissioner, among others.

José Ortega y Gasset, great influence on the work of Cabreras. Source: See page for author, via Wikimedia Commons

During 1932 and 1935 the writer participated in the Gaceta del Arte magazine, an international publication, whose objective was to connect local artists with European advances. García Cabrera's contribution was the preservation of the dialect, culture and architecture.

García Cabrera and the Civil War

The Canary Islands, the birthplace of Pedro García Cabrera. Source: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA, via Wikimedia Commons

The writer traveled to Madrid in 1936 to attend the election of Manuel Azaña, then in July he was arrested, he was transferred to a concentration camp in Villa Cisneros, a town in Western Sahara. He was put to work building roads.

Later in 1937 he escaped with a group of prisoners to Dakar and then went to Marseille, entered Spain and carried out military intelligence work. A year later he suffered an accident that left him serious, and while in the hospital he met his wife, the nurse Matilde Torres Marchal.

Postwar years

After several criminal proceedings, Pedro García Cabrera was released in 1946, and in 1948 he married his girlfriend Matilde. The years after the war meant censorship, but the writer continued to write and collaborate for various print media.

In 1949 he began to write the poetry book Between 4 Walls, in addition, in 1951, in the newspaper La Tarde some verses from Días de alondras were published. The writer remained active during the following years, writing, giving talks and conferences.

Last years and death

Canary Islands General and Technical Institute. Source: No machine-readable author provided. Cup of coffee assumed (based on copyright claims)., via Wikimedia Commons

In 1978 the writer wrote Génesis de esta sal and La sal. Two years later he made a trip to Sweden, where he wrote his latest works, the following year he was awarded the Gold Medal of Tenerife. However, his health had already deteriorated from prostate cancer; He died on March 20, 1981 in Tenerife.

Style

The literary style of Pedro García Cabrera was characterized by the use of a cultured language, and at the same time abstract. He developed his writings first within modernism, to later move on to the avant-garde movement and surrealism.

In addition, his style was marked by the influence of writers such as José de Espronceda, José Zorrilla, Ortega y Gasset, and Ramón de Campoamor. Its main themes were society, freedom, the landscape and the elements of its environment, and also rehumanization.

García Cabrera used both minor art and major art verses in his poems, later those of free meter. In his creations you can also observe the use of the couplet, romance and the series. In addition, they highlighted its social and political content.

Plays

- Lichens (1928).

- Transparencies leaked (1934).

- Days of larks (1951).

- Hope keeps me (1959).

- Between 4 walls (1968).

- Tour of the island (1968).

- Man Rush Hour (1970).

- The islands in which I live (1971).

- Starving Elegies (1975).

- Eyes that do not see (1977).

- Towards freedom (1978).

- I went to sea for oranges (1979).

- Dock with alarm clocks (1980).

- The knee in the water (1981).

References

1. Pedro García Cabrera. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
2. Biography of Pedro García Cabrera. (2019). (N / a): Lecturalia. Recovered from: lecturalia.com.
3. Pablo, M. (2015). Pedro García Cabrera. Spain: Archipelago of the Letters. Recovered from: academiacanarialengua.org.
4. Pablo, M. (2015). Pedro García Cabrera: Value and meaning of his work. Spain: Archipelago of the Letters. Recovered from: academiacanarialengua.org.
5. Pedro García Cabrera. (2019). Cuba: Ecu Red. Recovered from: ecured.cu.