Objetivos
- To understand the context in which the collection of poems was published in 1921 as the conclusion of a period of learning and the beginning of the poet’s mature and recognisable voice.
- To analyse the influences of the lyrical tradition (Bécquer, Verlaine, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Antonio Machado) present in the text and how Lorca assimilates them in his quest for originality.
- To assess the existential crisis of Lorca’s early work, reflected in the conflict between nostalgia for a lost childhood, religious doubts and guilt regarding his own identity.
Summary
This unit examines *Libro de poemas* (1921), a work that is fundamental to understanding Federico García Lorca’s transition from his youthful explorations to his early creative maturity. Through an analysis of the author’s own ‘Words of Justification’, the collection’s disordered and scattered nature is examined. The analysis explores how this collection of poems synthesises the readings and influences of the immediate literary tradition — characterised by Bécquer’s sentimentality, Verlaine’s musicality and the mastery of Juan Ramón Jiménez and Antonio Machado — serving as a conceptual laboratory for the development of his own voice.
It also addresses the conflict between nostalgia for a lost childhood and the painful uncertainties of the present, marked by the loss of traditional faith, the fear of punishment and the guilt associated with unconfessable desire.
Content authors
- Luis García Montero. Department of Literature, University of Granada.
Podcast
Listen to the episode: ‘The Butterfly’s Curse’ (Text and narration created using AI tools for educational purposes.)