The Medieval period covers 400 years of different poetry texts and can be broken up into five categories
Primitive Lyrics
The Epic
Mester de clerecía
Collection of verse (Cancionero)
The Spanish ballads
Mozarab Jarchas, the first expression of Spanish poetry, in Mozárabe dialect
Mester de Juglaría
Cantar de Mio Cid
Mester de Clerecía
Juan Ruiz, Arcipreste de Hita
Gonzalo de Berceo
Troubadours
Xohán de Cangas
Palla (troubadour)
Paio Soares de Taveirós
Macías
Pero Ferrus
Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara
Alfonso Martínez de Toledo, Arcipreste de Talavera
Jorge Manrique
Marqués de Santillana
Juan de Mena
Arabic and Hebrew poetry during the Moorish period
During the time when Spain was occupied by the Arabs after the early 8th century, the Iberian Peninsula became dominated by the Arabic language in both the central and southern regions. Latin still prevailed in the north, but the two languages began to merge, forming several idioms called the Romance languages. The Jewish culture had its own Golden Age through the span of the 10th to 12th centuries in Spain. Hebrew poetry was usually in the style of Piyyut; however, under Muslim rule in Spain, the style changed. These poets began to write again in what was the “pure language of the Bible”. Beforehand, poems were written in Midrash. This change was a result of the commitment the Arabs had to the Koran. Tempos and secular topics were now prevalent in Hebrew poetry. However, these poems were only reflections of events seen by the Jews and not of ones practiced themselves.
The Alhambra Poets:
Ibn al-Yayyab
Ibn Zamrak
Ibn al-Khatib
Ibn Sahl of Sevilla
Ibn Hazm of Córdoba
Ibn Gabirol
Moses ibn Ezra
Abraham ibn Ezra
Ibn Quzman
Ibn Arabi
Anonymous writers of the Romancero
Juan Boscán
Gutierre de Cetina
Alonso de Ercilla
Santa Teresa de Jesús
San Juan de la Cruz
Fernando de Herrera
Garcilaso de la Vega
Juan del Encina
Fray Luis de León
Diego Hurtado de Mendoza
Lope de Rueda
Ausiàs March (in Valencian)
This epoch includes the Renaissance of the 16th century and the Baroque of the 17th century. During the Renaissance, poetry became partitioned into culteranismo and conceptismo, which essentially became rivals.
Culteranismo used bleak language and hyperbaton. These works largely included neologisms and mythological topics. Such characteristics made this form of poetry highly complex, making comprehension difficult.
Conceptismo was a trend using new components and resources. An example of this new extension was the Germanias. Works included comparative and complex sentences. This movement derived from Petrarchanism.
During the Baroque period, Satire, Neostoicism, and Mythological themes were also prevalent.
Satire tended to be directed to the elites, criticizing the defects of the society. This form of poetry often resulted in severe punishments being administered to the poets.
Neostoicism became a movement of philosophical poetry. Ideas from the medieval period resurfaced.
Mythological themes were more common in culteranismo. Not until the Generation of 1927 did these poems gain more importance. La Fábula de Polifemo y Galatea and Las Soledades are two key works.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas
Luis de Góngora y Argote established culteranismo.
Félix Lope de Vega Carpio
Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Germany and England were the large forces in this movement. Over the course of the late 18th century to the late 19th century, Romanticism spread philosophy and art through Western societies of the world. The earlier part of this movement overlapped with the Age of Revolutions. The idea of the creative imagination was rising above the idea of reason. Minute elements of nature, such as bugs and pebbles, were considered divine. There were many variations of the perception of nature in these works. Instead of allegory, this era moved towards myths and symbols. The power of human emotion emerged during this period.
Manuel José Quintana
José Zorrilla
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
Rosalía de Castro (in Galician and Spanish)
José de Espronceda
Spain went through drastic changes after the demise of Spain’s colonial empire. French and German inspiration along with Modernism greatly improved the culture of Spain with the works of the Generation of 1898, which were mostly novelists but some were poets.
Miguel de Unamuno
Antonio Machado
Manuel Machado
Ultraism
The Generation of 1927 were mostly poets. Many were also involved with the production of music and theatre plays.
Rafael Alberti
Vicente Aleixandre
Dámaso Alonso
Manuel Altolaguirre
Luis Cernuda
Gerardo Diego
Manuel de Falla; influential on poets, for his vision of Moorish Spain
Juan Ramón Jiménez
Federico García Lorca
Jorge Guillen
Emilio Prados
Pedro Salinas
Poets during the World War II and under General Franco in peacetime:
Juan Ramón Jiménez received the Nobel Prize in Literature 1956, "For his lyrical poetry, which in Spanish language constitutes an example of high spirit and artistical purity". Was the last survivor of Generation of 1898. During the mid-20th century, works steadily moved back to literary and political aspects.
Luis Buñuel
Ángel Crespo
Jaime Gil de Biedma
Carlos Edmundo de Ory
León Felipe
Ángel González Muñiz
Miguel Hernández
José Hierro
Lluis Llach
Leopoldo Panero
José María Pemán
These works became experimental, using themes, styles and characteristics of traditional poetry throughout Spain’s time and combining them with current movements. Some poets remain more traditional, while others more contemporary.
Post-Franco and Contemporary Spanish Poets:
Blanca Andreu
Miguel Argaya
María Victoria Atencia
Felipe Benítez Reyes
Carlos Bousoño
Giannina Braschi
Francisco Brines
José Manuel Caballero Bonald
Matilde Camus
Antonio Colinas
Aurora de Albornoz
Luis Alberto de Cuenca
Francisco Domene
José María Fonollosa
Gloria Fuertes
Vicente Gallego
Antonio Gamoneda
Enrique García-Máiquez
José Agustín Goytisolo
Félix Grande
Diego Jesús Jiménez
Chantal Maillard
Antonio Martínez Sarrión
Carlos Marzal
Bruno Mesa
Juan Carlos Mestre
Luis García Montero
Luis Javier Moreno
Lorenzo Oliván
Salome Ortega
Leopoldo María Panero
Francisco Pino
Juan Vicente Nuevo Piqueras
Claudio Rodríguez
Ángel Rupérez
Jaime Siles
Jenaro Talens
Andrés Trapiello
José Miguel Ullán
José Ángel Valente
Álvaro Valverde
Luis Antonio de Villena
Luisa Castro
Isla Correyero
Clara Janés
Ana Rossetti
Rafael Pérez Estrada
