The postvanguardismo is a literary and poetic movement that occurred in Latin America in the middle of the twentieth century happening postmodern and avant - garde movements. Born in the 40's, post-avant-garde raised important theoretical considerations, rejecting many notions of classical poetry or pure poetry. Because of this rejection, post-avant-garde poetry is recognized as an antipoetry.
Post-avant-garde poetry is considered by many as an aesthetic advance compared to what was done by avant-garde poets. However, it maintains many aspects of avant-garde and postmodern poetry.
Octavio Paz, main representative of post-vanguardism
Post-avant-garde poets elaborated their work in reference to expressive systems and conceptions of avant-garde poetry, without opposing modernism as if the first avant-garde did.
Characteristics of Postvanguardism
The main characteristics of "antipoesia" in the post-avant-garde included several themes and aspects.
Among others, the post-avant-garde affirmed the dissolution of the totality postulated by rationalism and the fragmentation of enlightened intelligibility.
In the post-avant-garde, the irrationalist and anti-historical subjectivism of the avant-garde movement was preserved. In addition, the destructuring of poetic language was manifested in surrealist and existentialist poetry.
The surreal characteristics of many post-avant-garde works led to the creation of works in which the artist sought poetry in his inner world and no longer in the outer world.
In this way the post-avant-garde work of art existed in a close relationship with consciousness.
One of the greatest exponents of post-vanguardism, Octavio Paz, argued that an anti-conformism was expressed in post-vanguardism that had not been manifested in previous movements.
It was thus proposed that post-avant-gardeism should be a critical literature.
Relationship with the avant-garde
Both avant-garde and post-avant-garde see the presence of art in the modern world as something doubtful.
Post-vanguardism rescued some aesthetic, poetic and ethical aspects of the avant-garde movement, such as the desacralization of poetic discourse and the figure of the poet, and the systematic assembly of dispersed fragments and heterogeneous elements in the form of a collage.
The post-avant-garde sought to recompose the state of the poetic work and maintain the anti-artistic sense of avant-garde.
Thus, the slightly irrationalist sense of derealization was preserved, returning to a logical sequence and rhyme.
Some critics of post-vanguardism denounce that it succumbs to the ideological coercion of the consumer society and produces only for the market and in the medium term.
Still, many of the great post-avant-garde writers are still considered essential in Hispanic literature.
Top writers
The main representative figures of Postvanguardism were the Cuban José Lezama Lima, the Chilean Nicanor Parra and Gonzalo Rojas. However, the most recognized of all was the Mexican Octavio Paz.
Although it is not an accepted fact by many authors, it is affirmed that many avant-garde writers belonged at the same time to the post-avant-garde current.
These authors include figures such as Cesar Vallejo with his surrealist poetry, Pablo Neruda with influences from social poetry, and the metaphysical poetry of Jorge Luis Borges.
References
- Calderon F. Latin American Identity and Mixed Temporalities; Or, How to Be Postmodern and Indian at the Same Time. Boundary 2. 1993; 20 (3): 55–64.
- Forster M. Review: Spanish-American Poetry from Modernism. Hispania. 1969; 52 (2): 344–345.
- Jiménez JO Malone J. Contemporary Latin American Poetry. Chicago Review. 1964; 17 (1): 64–83.
- Schopf F. 1986. From Avant-garde to Antipoetry. LOM Editions.
- Siebenmann G. Cesar Vallejo and the Vanguards. Hispania. 1989; 72 (1): 33–41.