--see above for info on his early life--
I. Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha América!
In 1929 Lorca went to
New York because he wanted to get out of
Spain for a bit. He gave a conference at
Columbia University, but what seemed to affect him most was his experience with
African Americans. He is quoted as saying:
"El negro, que está tan cerca de la naturaleza humana pura y de la otra naturaleza. ¡Ese negro que se saca música hasta de los bolsillos! Fuera del arte negro no queda en los Estados Unidos más que mecánica y automatismo." (The negro is so close to pure human nature and to nature. Outside of negro art/music there is nothing left in the art world of the United States that is not mechanical and automatic.)
II. Poesía
-Libro de poemas (1921)
-Primeras Canciones (1936)
-Canciones (1927)
-Poema del cante jondo (1931)
-Primer romancero gitano (1928) (18 ballads full of symbolism and lyrical repetition).
-
Llanto por la muerte de Ignacio Sánchez Mejías (1934) (Eulogy for the toreador
Sánchez Mejías)
-Poeta en Nueva York (1940)
III. Obras de teatro
-
Bodas de Sangre (1933)
* Emphasis on the supernatural and on honor, with a lot of imagery.
-
Yerma (1934)
* Fatalism and symbolism
-
La casa de Bernarda Alba (1945)
* See w/u on this
IV. Important stylistic elements
-
Symbolism: Rafael Alberti says in the
Manual de literatura española XI. Novecentismo y vanguardia: Líricos that "Los símbolos son elemento clave del universo mítico lorquiano. Reproducen básicamente el conflicto esencial que subyace en todas las mitologías entre la vida y la muerte. Sus significados múltiples y no racionalizados permiten al lector una libertad interpretativa que enriquece el poema con infinitas connotaciones." ("
Symbols are the key element of the mythical Lorcian universe. They basically reproduce the essential underlying conflict behind all of the mythologies about life and death. Their multiple, irrational meanings allow the reader an interpretive freedom that enriches the poem with infinite
connotations")
-
Metáforas Lorca is known for his use of the moon, horse, and water as powerful metaphors in his poetry and theater.
-
Folkloric themes (from the popular poetry of
Andalucia)
-
Innovative use of tradition "...se distingue, no sólo por la musicalidad de sus versos y la plasticidad de sus imágenes, sino también por su empleo innovador del romance tradicional...en su temática y su métrica, es un continuador de la tradición castiza... de hecho, García Lorca es el escritor de su generación, que mejor supo lograr la síntesis entre temas, actitudes y valores tradicionalmente españoles y la sensibilidad contemporánea europea" (Mujica). "His work is distinguished not only for the musicality of the verses and the
plasticity of the images, but also for his innovative use of the romantic tradition... in his theme and metric system, he continues the
castiza tradition... certainly Garcia Lorca is the writer of his generation, who best knew how to acheive the synthesis of theme, attitudes and traditional Spanish values and the contemporary European feel" (Mujica).
VI. Su muerte
"I still consider myself a true novice, and I'm still learning my profession ... One has to ascend one step at a time ... One shouldn't demand of my nature, my spiritual and intellectual development, something that no author can give until much later ... My work has just begun." (quoted days before his untimely death)
see The death of Federico García Lorca for more info
Works cited:
Ward, Philip (ed). "The Oxford Companion to Spanish Literature".
Alberti, Rafael. "Federico García Lorca," Manual de literatura española XI. Novecentismo y vanguardia: Líricos.
home.tiscali.be/ericlaermans/cultural/fglorca.html
www.cyberspain.com/passion/lorca.htm
www.garcia-lorca.org/
http://www.los-poetas.com/a/biolorca.htm
http://www.terra.es/personal2/ortz74/Fgl/inicio.htm
http://www.antorcha.org/liter/lorbiog.htm
Mujica, Barbara, "Texto y Vida"