Luis Cernuda facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Luis Cernuda
Born	Luis Cernuda Bidón September 21, 1902 Seville, Spain
Died	November 5, 1963(1963-11-05) (aged 61) Mexico City, Mexico
Resting place	Panteón Jardín, Mexico City
Alma mater	University of Seville

Luis Cernuda Bidón (born September 21, 1902 – died November 5, 1963) was a famous Spanish poet. He was part of a special group of writers called the Generation of '27. In 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, he left Spain to give talks in the UK. This trip turned into a lifelong exile.

He taught at universities in Glasgow and Cambridge. Later, in 1947, he moved to the United States. In the 1950s, he settled in Mexico. Luis Cernuda kept writing poetry throughout his life. He also published many books of essays about French, English, German, and Spanish literature. He was known for being honest about his feelings and identity, which was brave for his time. His collected poems were published under the title La realidad y el deseo (Reality and Desire).

About Luis Cernuda

Early Life in Seville

Luis Cernuda was born in Seville, Spain, in 1902. His father was a colonel. He had two older sisters. From his childhood, Cernuda was a quiet and shy boy. He often felt unhappy at home. Because of this, he spent a lot of time reading books. He also loved the sights and feelings of his hometown.

When he was 9, he first saw a poetry book called Rimas by Bécquer. Even though he said it didn't affect him much at first, he started writing poems around age 14. This was while he was studying at the Escolapios School in Seville.

In 1919, he began studying Law at the University of Seville. In his first year, he took classes with Pedro Salinas, a Spanish language and literature teacher. Cernuda was very shy. He didn't tell Salinas about his poems until Salinas saw one of his prose poems in a student magazine. Salinas encouraged him. He told Cernuda to read classic Spanish poetry and modern French literature. Salinas also suggested that Cernuda send his first poetry collection, Perfil del aire, to Manuel Altolaguirre and Emilio Prados. They had just started a magazine called Litoral in 1926. Many magazines at that time published poetry collections as special additions.

Birthplace of Luis Cernuda in Seville

Cernuda's father died in 1920. Luis continued to live with his mother and sisters. In 1923, he did his military service. In 1924, as he finished his university studies, he joined a group of students at Salinas's house. These meetings helped him grow as a poet. They also guided his reading of French literature.

He finished his Law degree in 1925. But he wasn't sure what to do next. He thought about joining the diplomatic service. However, he decided against it when he learned it meant moving to Madrid. In October, Salinas helped him meet Juan Ramón Jiménez, another famous poet.

In 1926, Cernuda visited Madrid for the first time. Salinas helped him meet important writers like Ortega y Gasset. Ortega y Gasset had already published some of Cernuda's poems. In 1927, his first book was not well-received. But Cernuda was already known to many important Spanish writers. In December 1927, there were big celebrations for the 300th anniversary of the poet Luis de Góngora. Many poets, like García Lorca and Rafael Alberti, gave readings. Cernuda met Lorca there.

Life in Madrid and France

Cernuda's mother died in July 1928. In September, he left Seville and moved to Madrid. He had a law degree, but he knew poetry was his true calling. He reconnected with Pedro Salinas and met Vicente Aleixandre. Salinas helped him get a job as a Spanish teacher at the University of Toulouse in France.

He started his job in November 1928 and stayed for a year. Living alone in a foreign city was a big change for him. It helped him understand himself better. His shyness and feeling of being alone were signs of something deeper. He accepted his true self with courage. This led to a major change in his poetry. He also discovered a love for jazz music and movies. This sparked his interest in the USA.

From 1929 to 1936, Cernuda lived in Madrid. He was very active in the city's literary and cultural scene. In 1930, he found a job in a bookshop. During this time, he worked with groups that wanted to create a more open and accepting Spain. For example, from 1932 to 1935, he joined the Misiones Pedagógicas. This group brought culture and education to different parts of Spain. He also wrote for radical magazines, showing his interest in social change.

In February 1936, he joined Lorca and Alberti in honoring the writer Valle-Inclán. Cernuda had only published one collection, Donde habite el olvido, since his first book. This made him think about and improve his work. He decided to collect all his poems under one title: La realidad y el deseo. In April 1936, José Bergamín published the book. Later editions added new poems. A celebration dinner was held, attended by many famous poets like Lorca and Pablo Neruda.

Spanish Civil War and Exile

When the Spanish Civil War began, a friend helped Cernuda go to Paris. He worked as a secretary for the ambassador there. He stayed in Paris from July to September 1936. Then he returned to Madrid with the ambassador's family.

For a time, Cernuda wanted to help society. He hoped to fix some of the unfairness he saw in Spain. From October 1936 to April 1937, he worked on radio broadcasts for the Republican side. In April 1937, he moved to Valencia and started writing poems for his collection Las Nubes. He also worked with the magazine Hora de España.

In 1937, he acted in a play by Lorca during a big meeting of writers in Valencia. There, he met Octavio Paz, a famous Mexican writer. In October, he went back to Madrid. He worked on the magazine El Mono Azul until February 1938.

In 1935, Cernuda met an English poet named Stanley Richardson. They had a short but meaningful friendship. In February 1938, Richardson arranged for Cernuda to give talks in Oxford and Cambridge. Cernuda thought he would only be away for a month or two. But this was the start of his exile, which lasted the rest of his life. The talks never happened. Richardson helped him join a group of Basque children who had been moved to safety.

After a few months in England, Cernuda had little money and spoke little English. He went to Paris, planning to return to Spain. But news from Spain made him stay in Paris. In September 1938, Richardson found him a job as a Spanish assistant at Cranleigh School. In January 1939, he became a teacher at the University of Glasgow. Richardson died in an air raid in 1941. Cernuda wrote a poem for him. Later, Cernuda found a photo of Richardson in a shop and bought it.

Cernuda did not like Glasgow or Scotland much. This feeling shows in the sad tone of his poems from that time. From 1941, he spent his summer breaks in Oxford, where he enjoyed the many bookshops. In August 1943, he moved to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and was much happier. He loved music, especially Mozart. The artistic life in Cambridge and London helped him learn more about music.

In 1940, a second edition of La realidad y el deseo was published in Mexico. A separate edition of Las nubes also appeared. Cernuda had worried that his work would be forgotten because he was in exile. These books gave him hope.

In July 1945, he moved to a similar job at the Spanish Institute in London. He missed Cambridge. He started taking holidays in Cornwall because he was tired of city life. So, in March 1947, when his friend Concha de Albornoz offered him a job at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, he quickly accepted. He arrived in New York in September. Coming from a war-damaged country, New York's shops seemed like paradise. He also liked the people and the good pay at Mount Holyoke.

Life in the US and Mexico

Cernuda was happy at Mount Holyoke at first. But he soon wondered if it was good for his poetry. In the summer of 1949, he visited Mexico for the first time. He was so impressed that Mount Holyoke started to feel boring. He wrote a collection of prose pieces called Variaciones sobre tema mexicano about his feelings.

He began spending his summers in Mexico. In 1951, during a 6-month break, he met someone who inspired his poems called "Poemas para un cuerpo." This was probably one of the happiest times of his life.

The Central Library - University of Mexico.

Soon after, his Mexican visa ran out, and he returned to the US. He found it hard to live in Mount Holyoke, especially the long, cold winters. In 1952, he resigned from his job. He gave up a good position and salary. Cernuda always had a restless spirit. He loved to travel to new places. Only deep connections could make him feel at home and less isolated. He was also drawn to new ideas and liked to challenge common beliefs. This helped him avoid narrow-mindedness.

In November 1952, he settled in Mexico with his old friend Concha Méndez. From 1954 to 1960, he taught at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In 1958, the third edition of La realidad y el deseo was published. For this book, Cernuda wrote an essay about how his poems shaped him. His two sisters died in 1960.

In June 1960, he gave talks at UCLA in California. He became friends with Carlos Otero, who was writing about Cernuda's poetry. This visit made Cernuda feel refreshed. When he returned to Mexico, he started writing poetry again. These new poems became his last collection, Desolación de la Quimera. From 1961 to 1962, he taught at San Francisco State College. After a short return to Mexico, he visited California again in 1962. He was a visiting professor at UCLA until June 1963.

He spent the summer of 1963 in Mexico. He was invited to lecture at another university but declined due to health checks for his visa. Luis Cernuda died of a heart attack on November 5, 1963, at Concha Méndez's house. He was buried in Mexico City. He never married and had no children.

Cernuda's Poetry

Luis Cernuda was one of the most dedicated poets of the Generation of 1927. Unlike some other poets who also taught or worked in printing, Cernuda's main focus was always poetry. He taught at universities mainly to earn a living. His critical writings often discussed authors who influenced his own poetry.

His poetry changed as he grew as a person, not just because of literary trends. The title of his collected poems, La realidad y el deseo (Reality and Desire), shows the main theme of his work: the conflict between what is real and what we wish for. He wrote that desire led him to reality, hoping to understand his own life. But because reality was hard to grasp, he also felt a dislike for it. He believed that poetry's main challenge was this struggle between reality and desire, between what seems true and what is truly true. This struggle helps us see a bigger picture of the world.

A key moment in his development happened in 1923-24 during his military service. One afternoon, while riding around Seville, he had a powerful experience. He felt like he was seeing things for the first time. This made him want to describe it, leading to many poems.

Another important time was his stay in Great Britain from 1938 to 1947. He learned English and read many English books. He felt that reading English poetry helped him complete something missing in himself and his work. He saw his teaching as similar to writing poetry. A poet should not just share an experience, but also show the reader how the poet came to feel it. He had mixed feelings about Britain. He learned a lot from its literature and admired its people during wartime. But he found it hard to truly love the country.

Emmanuel College, Cambridge

Poetry Collections

First Poems (1924–1927)

This was the title Cernuda gave to the revised version of his first published work, Perfil del aire. It was published in 1927. The book was dedicated to his teacher, Salinas. Cernuda later remembered that this book received many negative reviews. Critics said it wasn't new enough and was too much like another poet, Guillén. Cernuda felt hurt by this. He later explained that both he and Guillén were interested in "pure poetry" and were influenced by the same French poets. So, it wasn't so much that he copied Guillén, but that they shared a similar style at the time.

Not all reviews were bad. José Bergamín wrote a good review, and Guillén himself praised the work. But Cernuda was very sensitive and never forgot the criticism. He changed the book, removing some poems and styles that made it seem too similar to Guillén.

In these early poems, Cernuda used strict forms like the sonnet. His style was intellectual, different from the folk-inspired poems of other poets like Lorca. But Cernuda's poems were more hesitant and emotionally controlled than Guillén's joyful ones. The new title, Primeras poesías, suggested he wanted to make his poetry simpler. Even then, some poems showed his desire to escape the real world into a world of love and forgetfulness. The main feeling in these poems is a youthful sadness. He was also strongly influenced by Juan Ramón Jiménez.

Egloga, Elegía, Oda (1927–1928)

After the negative reviews of Perfil del aire, Cernuda decided to focus on what had been criticized. He wrote an eclogue, a type of pastoral poem, influenced by Garcilaso. This poem was well-received. He then wrote an elegy and an ode. These poems helped him improve his writing skills. But he realized these formal exercises didn't let him express what was truly important to him. However, he learned he could write longer poems, which was an important discovery.

These poems can be seen as Cernuda's way of taking part in the Góngora celebrations. But he chose to honor older poets like Garcilaso and Luis de León, perhaps to show his unique style. The poems hint at his love for Greek mythology and male beauty, themes he would explore more in later works.

Un río, un amor (1929)

Cernuda started this collection while in Toulouse, France. He visited Paris and loved the museums and bookstalls. One day, back in Toulouse, he wrote a poem that helped him find a new style. This style allowed him to express poetic needs he couldn't before. He hadn't written poetry for a while, but then three new poems came quickly. He was tired of old poetry styles. Contact with surrealism, an art movement, freed him. For Cernuda, surrealism was more than just a style; it was a way to defy fitting in.

The poems in this collection break away from the idea of "pure poetry." Cernuda kept his precise and elegant language but added more emotion. He continued this collection after returning to Madrid. The influence of surrealism is clear in the complex images. Some ideas came from jazz record titles, American city names, or silent films. He mostly stopped using traditional rhyme and meter. This was his first collection using what he called "free verse." This meant ignoring classical Spanish forms. However, some poems still had a kind of rhythm. In one poem, "¿Son todos felices?", Cernuda shows why he liked surrealism: their protest against society and pressure to conform. He felt that living by strict rules was like being dead. This collection and the next one were not published until 1936.

Los placeres prohibidos (1931)

The poems in this collection, like the previous one, came to Cernuda fully formed. The first drafts were almost the same as the published versions. This book is about love, rebellion, and beauty.

In this collection, Cernuda openly expresses his identity. The title, "Forbidden Pleasures," suggests he explored many ways of going against normal social rules. He wrote these poems quickly between April and June 1931, when Spain became a republic. In "Diré cómo nacisteis," Cernuda speaks out against a society that limits people who love differently. In another poem, "Telarañas cuelgan de la razón," he shows a sad, sorrowful mood. The poems in this book highlight the difference between the poet's free imagination and the rules of life that restrict him. The main feeling is one of sadness, showing that love is temporary and leaves emptiness. In "De qué país," Cernuda looks at a newborn child. He describes how the adult world destroys a child's wonder and innocence by forcing rules and guilt. This theme appears many times in his work.

Donde habite el olvido (1932–1933)

This book came from a love affair that ended sadly. When the collection was first published, a large "S" shaped like a snake on the back cover hinted at the person who inspired it. This was Serafín Fernández Ferro, a young man from a poor family. Cernuda probably met him in 1931 and fell deeply in love. This led to the burst of creativity for Los placeres prohibidos. But the relationship quickly turned difficult, with arguments. By June 1932, it was over.

Later, Cernuda felt a bit embarrassed by how openly he wrote about this in Donde habite. He said it was one of his least favorite parts of his work.

In this collection, Cernuda moved away from surrealism. He felt he had explored his subconscious enough. Instead, he looked to the 19th-century poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer. Bécquer wrote short, controlled poems about lost love. Cernuda still avoided rhyme, but like Bécquer's poems, his stanzas were short and simple. The language was calm. Sometimes, the poems returned to the quiet world of his first works.

The first poem hints at Serafín, who is named directly in a later poem, "Mi arcángel." The idea of an angel appears in other poems too. In "III," the theme is the emptiness left by lost love, similar to a poem in Los placeres prohibidos, but simpler and more lyrical. "IV" shows how youthful dreams are destroyed if they aim too high. "VII" suggests that despite his experiences, the poet is still an unfulfilled dreamer. "XII" says that only love makes life real. It remains a universal force even if it dies for one person. The ideas of surrealism are still there, but presented differently. This love affair had a lasting impact on Cernuda. He mentioned it in later works.

Invocaciones (1934–1935)

This collection was first called Invocaciones a las gracias del mundo, but Cernuda shortened it. He was tired of the short poems common at the time. He started writing much longer poems. He realized his subjects needed more space to express everything. He removed all remaining traces of "pure" poetry. He also noted that some poems in this book started with a bit too much rambling.

His main subject was still himself and his thoughts. But he started to look at things more objectively. The poetry became more analytical. For example, in "Soliloquio del farero," the poet finds a way to escape sadness in a lonely, enclosed world, much like his earliest poems. He talks to his "friend"—solitude—and believes he is chosen to serve humanity by being separate, like a lighthouse keeper. Other poems in the collection refer to Greek mythology or a lost golden age of innocence. In 1935, during his friendship with Stanley Richardson, Cernuda dedicated "Por unos tulipanes amarillos" to him.

Las nubes (1937–1940)

This collection was written during the Spanish Civil War. It was a time of great change and uncertainty for Cernuda as he went into exile. He moved from Madrid to London, Paris, Cranleigh, and finally Glasgow. This book is about war and exile, and how they connect with Spain. It is his most "Spanish" collection and a very important one.

The main themes are his feelings of isolation in foreign countries and his thoughts about Spain. He felt that intolerance and ignorance were winning in Spain. He saw Spain in two ways. One was a "stepmother" Spain he was ashamed of: stuck in the past, jealous, violent, and ruined by war. This is shown in "Elegía española I." The other was an ideal Spain, now destroyed, to which he felt loyal. This ideal Spain was a mix of his childhood in Andalusia, a tolerant and creative nation, and the best parts of Spain's Golden Age. This ideal Spain appears in poems like "El ruiseñor sobre la piedra."

Exile became a theme Cernuda explored for the rest of his life. Being physically exiled reminded him that he was also a spiritual exile in the world. He felt that poets belonged to a purer world of experience.

In terms of style, his language became clearer and simpler. He gained more control over his words. He often used lines of 7 and 11 syllables, a form important in Spanish poetry. Before Las Nubes, his poems were personal and abstract. In Invocaciones, he added symbols. Now, his poetry became broader, including thoughts on culture, mythology, history, and his own life. He started writing dramatic monologues and a more conversational style, influenced by English poets.

When he left Madrid in February 1938, he took eight new poems. He wrote six more in London. He wrote "Lázaro" during a time of political tension, expressing the sad surprise a dead man might feel if brought back to life. Cernuda felt a growing sense of detachment. This poem is an early example of him using a "double" or other character to express his feelings of being disconnected.

While staying with Basque children who had been moved to safety, he befriended a boy named Iñaki. The boy became ill and died. This inspired the poem "Niño muerto" (Dead Child), written in May 1938.

A key poem in the collection is "A Larra, con unas violetas." In it, he identifies with Mariano José de Larra, a 19th-century Spanish journalist. Larra criticized his government and society but was very patriotic. Cernuda saw Larra as a kindred spirit: bitter, misunderstood, isolated, and unlucky in love.

Como quien espera el alba (1941–1944)

This work began during his 1941 holiday in Oxford, continued in Glasgow, and finished in Cambridge in 1944. The period from autumn 1941 to spring 1942 was very creative for him. This collection seems to have been one of his favorites. He read many English poems and essays. He also started reading Goethe and Kierkegaard. While this reading doesn't appear directly in any poem, it made his longer poems more confident.

Some poems show a longing for the Seville of his youth. This was rare for Cernuda, but a desire for sunshine and warmth is understandable given the circumstances. Only in indirect ways can a reader guess what was happening around him. Glasgow was bombed during World War II, but you wouldn't know it from Cernuda's poems. However, this collection does include "Por otros tulipanes amarillos," a poem for his former friend Stanley Richardson, who died in an air raid.

In a long poem, "Noche del hombre y su demonio," he thinks about his life and whether he will be remembered after death. The "demon" challenges his calling as a poet, suggesting Cernuda might have wanted a normal life. But the poet fights back, saying his poetry gives his life meaning. Even if he is wrong, poetry is essential to him, and he must commit to it completely.

"Góngora" is another poem where he uses a historical figure to show his own feelings. He sees Góngora as a victim of society. He describes the insults Góngora faced when alive and how he was later recognized. Cernuda often resisted how society tried to control and simplify poets. He expressed this resistance with strong, bitter words. The title of the collection refers to the feeling in Britain during World War II. It was a time when people could only hope for an end to the darkness, and England felt like a safe place.

Vivir sin estar viviendo (1944–1949)

This collection started in Cambridge, continued in London, and finished in America. It's similar to the previous one, with a mix of personal and shorter, impressionistic poems. Reading Hölderlin, a German poet, influenced Cernuda to use a technique called enjambment (where a sentence continues from one line to the next without a pause). This gave his poetry a dual rhythm: the rhythm of each line and the rhythm of the whole phrase. Since he rarely used rhyme, the rhythm of the phrase often became more important, making his poems sound almost like prose. It was a rhythm of ideas, not just meter.

The first eight poems were written in Cambridge, and he added 13 more during holidays in Cornwall. The title, "Living without being alive," describes his state of mind. He felt like he was living indirectly in foreign countries where he knew few people. His extensive reading took the place of truly living. He saw only death ahead.

A typical poem from this collection is "El César." This is another example of him using a "double" character. The old Emperor Tiberius, living alone on Capri, thinks about his solitude and separation from the world. He reflects on his power, age, regrets, and desires. Caesar is a reflection of Cernuda's own thoughts, but also a character with his own story.

Con las horas contadas (1950–1956)

This collection began in Mount Holyoke in 1950 and finished in Mexico. A notable part of this book is "Poemas para un cuerpo" (Poems for a Body), a group of 16 poems about a strong connection he had with an unidentified man in Mexico. The collection's title, "With the Hours Counted," suggests Cernuda's thoughts on time passing. It also shows the strange feeling he had during this loving adventure, describing himself as an old man in love. As mentioned, this was one of the happiest times of his life. Some poems describe his experiences during the relationship, but most are reflections after it ended, trying to understand this intense love. There are similarities to Donde habite el olvido, but these later poems are not bitter or disappointed. Cernuda mainly explored his relationship with the experience of love itself. The person he loved was important, but the focus was on his own feelings. He later said he liked these poems, but admitted they might be criticized for not keeping enough distance between the man who felt the emotions and the poet who wrote about them.

Most poems in this collection are shorter than in previous books. They also use assonance (similar vowel sounds) more often. This was to make the themes more focused and the poems more lyrical, even if it wasn't a conscious choice.

Among other interesting poems is "Aguila y rosa" (Eagle and Rose), a calm account of the marriage of Philip II and Mary Tudor. Cernuda might have projected his own feelings onto the king. Even though their marriage was short and sad, Mary's love gave her some comfort. With this poem, Cernuda completed a series of works about Philip II. The first was "El ruiseñor sobre la piedra" in Las nubes, followed by "Silla del rey" from Vivir sin estar viviendo. Both of these poems describe the building of the monastery-palace at El Escorial. In the first poem, the monastery symbolizes the ideal, eternal Spain that Cernuda loved. It's an image of beauty, created by a spirit that dislikes practical things. The nightingale singing for itself symbolizes Cernuda the poet. In "Silla del rey," Philip watches his palace being built. Cernuda uses the king's thoughts about the building as an expression of his faith. This leads to a reflection on his work, time, and society. It becomes a statement that he is creating a safe place from the world, protected by spiritual power. Reality and desire become one. The king becomes a way for Cernuda to express himself.

Desolación de la Quimera (1956–1962)

Cernuda's last book of poems sums up his career. It was published in Mexico in 1962. It mixes poems in the style of his first book with short, witty poems and longer, thoughtful pieces in his mature style. In "Niño tras un cristal" (Child Behind a Window), he finishes a series of poems about a child's innocence and hope before the world changes it. This theme was present from the very beginning of his poetry.

There are also poems inspired by song titles or common phrases. He wrote historical poems about figures like Mozart, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Keats, Goethe, and Ludwig of Bavaria. There's also a poem about a painting by Titian. It's as if Cernuda needed to base his life experiences on cultural references. Stylistically, this collection is very direct. There are no soaring lyrical parts or grand metaphors. However, some critics say this simple language is perfect for these ironic, sharp, and perfectly crafted poems.

It's clear he knew his life was ending. He wanted to settle his thoughts. This is shown by poem titles like "Antes de irse" (Before Leaving), "Dos de noviembre" (November Second), and "Despedida" (Farewell). There are direct links to earlier collections. For example, "Epílogo" is connected to "Poemas para un cuerpo," and "Pregunta vieja, vieja respuesta" (Old Question, Old Answer) links back to Donde habite el olvido.

He also returned to the theme of Spain, which first appeared in Las nubes. He analyzed what he admired and disliked. In "Díptico español," he shows his disapproval of the intolerance and cruelty of Spanish society in his time. He felt he was Spanish despite himself, with no choice in the matter. However, he was proud of Spanish culture, seen in the works of Benito Pérez Galdós and Miguel de Cervantes. He longed not for the real Spain, but for the ideal world created by Spanish literature. There are also poems about other poets he knew, sometimes with a sharp tone. As usual, the main theme is the difficulty of finding happiness when desire and reality are different. However, he found comfort in art, like listening to Mozart's music. By this time, he had gained some fame in Spain, and people were starting to appreciate his writings. In "Peregrino" (Pilgrim), he responds to questions about returning home in a grumpy but determined way. He explains that he must keep moving forward and can never go back to the past.

Influences on Cernuda

Pedro Salinas encouraged Cernuda to read classic Spanish poets like Garcilaso and Góngora. He also told him to learn French and read modern French writers like Baudelaire and Rimbaud. Cernuda also read Pierre Reverdy, who greatly influenced his first collection, Perfil del aire, with his simple and pure style. No critics at the time noticed this influence.

Just before finishing Perfil del aire, Cernuda read Le Libertinage by Louis Aragon. After his first book was published, he started reading other books by leaders of the Surrealist movement. He strongly connected with their boldness and their feeling of being outsiders in society. This clearly shows in his third and fourth collections.

While writing Invocaciones, he began reading Hölderlin, a German poet. Cernuda described this as one of his greatest poetry experiences. He had grown tired of the limited literature favored by the French surrealists. He started to learn English and German to read their poetry. He was captivated by the depth and beauty he found in Hölderlin. He discovered a new way of seeing the world and a new way to express himself in poetry. Cernuda felt a strong connection to Hölderlin, seeing him as someone who also felt alienated from his world. For Cernuda, "the secret forces of earth are the only realities, far from the conventions that govern society."

In 1936, he bought a copy of the Greek Anthology in Paris. He was inspired by the short and powerful style of these ancient poems.

After moving to Great Britain in 1938, Cernuda continued exploring English literature. He read Eliot, Blake, Keats, and Shakespeare. He was struck by how little they used fancy words compared to Spanish and French poetry. He learned that a poet could create a deeper effect by being quiet and precise, avoiding grand language. Like the Greek epigrams, he admired how being brief could give a poem a clear shape. He learned to avoid overly emotional descriptions or parts that didn't fit the poem's main idea. These tendencies were already growing in his poetry, but his reading confirmed this path. He also read Browning and learned how to use a dramatic or historical situation to express his own feelings more objectively. Examples include "Lázaro" and "El César."

A scholar named E.M. Wilson suggested that Cernuda, after arriving in England, started to imitate how T.S. Eliot borrowed from other writers. Eliot's influence is also seen in the title of Cernuda's last collection, Desolación de la Quimera, which refers to a line from Eliot's "Burnt Norton."

At Mount Holyoke, Cernuda started reading ancient Greek philosophy. These fragments of pre-Socratic thought seemed to him the most profound and poetic philosophical works he had ever read. The world of ancient Greece often appears in his poetry. It reminded him of reading Greek mythology as a child, which made his religious beliefs seem sad. He tried to express this experience in "El poeta y los mitos" in Ocnos.

Poetics: The Role of the Poet

Cernuda's poetry shows a constant effort to remove artificial or trendy styles. This explains the sudden changes in style between his collections. He believed a poet needed many different experiences and knowledge, or their work would be weak. A poet's work should show their growth and development.

When he described things, he tried to show his personal view of them, what they meant to him, rather than just how they objectively existed. However, after his early collections, he rarely used "I." He often used "you" to create distance, but he was usually talking to himself. This makes much of his poetry feel like a private conversation with himself. This was partly because he always felt a difference between the Cernuda who lived and suffered and the Cernuda who wrote poetry. It was also probably because he was naturally private and careful about revealing too much, even though his personal life was behind much of his work. While other poets might use characters to explore experiences they wouldn't share as their own, Cernuda's characters often spoke with his voice and showed parts of his own thoughts and feelings.

He was convinced that an inner force drove him to write poetry. He believed poets were connected to a spiritual side of life that most people couldn't see. He often mentioned this in his essays. His urge to write poetry was not something he controlled. Reading a poem, hearing music, or seeing an attractive person could inspire a poem. But what was important was to express the deep, real poetic feeling, which sometimes made him shiver or cry.

Even though he was focused on himself and his art, he needed to know he had an audience. After an edition of Como quien espera el alba was published in Argentina in 1947, he heard good things about its reception. He was happy to learn that he was finding readers and that his name was being mentioned when Spanish poetry was discussed.

Translations by Cernuda

While writing Invocaciones, Cernuda met Hans Gebser, a German philosopher. At this time, Cernuda was very interested in Hölderlin's poetry. With Gebser's help, he began translating some of Hölderlin's poems. These were published in 1936. Because his German was basic, he made a mistake in one line. A second edition was published in Mexico in 1942, but Cernuda couldn't correct it because he was in Scotland.

He also translated six poems by Eluard, published in 1929. In 1938, with Stanley Richardson, he translated two sonnets by Wordsworth. He also translated poems by Blake, Yeats, and Keats.

Prose Works

Prose Poems

Ocnos (1940–1956)

Cernuda did not enjoy living in Glasgow. He felt separated from happiness and love. He started to miss his childhood. He remembered his home in the South of Spain as a lost paradise. In 1940, the contrast between Glasgow's dullness and his childhood memories of Seville inspired him. He began writing short prose poems to ease his inner tension. As the collection grew, he looked for a title. He found one he liked in a work by Goethe: Ocnos. Ocnos was a mythical figure who twisted reeds into ropes, but his donkey kept eating them. Yet, he kept working to have something to do and perhaps learn. Cernuda saw this as a fitting image: the creator always trying to create, and the donkey symbolizing time, the destroyer, like the reading public.

The first edition of Ocnos was published in London in 1942 and had 31 pieces. Cernuda continued writing prose poetry. A second edition came out in Madrid in 1949 with 48 pieces. The first edition focused only on Cernuda's childhood in Seville. In the second edition, he arranged the pieces in a life story order and went beyond his Seville life. The final edition had 63 pieces and was published in Mexico in 1963.

The first group of poems was written at the same time as Como quien espera el alba. This was a very creative period for him. Exploring his early years became very important. There are overlaps between his poems and prose poems. For example, "Jardín antiguo" is both a poem in Las nubes and a prose poem in Ocnos. Both are inspired by the gardens of the Alcázar of Seville. In the poem, an old man dreams of returning to the garden, knowing youth won't come back. In Ocnos, there's a more detailed description of the garden and a deeper reflection on his connection to that place. He felt great joy there as a boy. It ends by stating the gap between reality and desire:

Más tarde habías de comprender que ni la acción ni el goce podrías vivirlos con la perfección que tenían en tus sueños al borde de la fuente. Y el día que comprendiste esa triste verdad, aunque estabas lejos y en tierra extraña, deseaste volver a aquel jardín y sentarte de nuevo al borde de la fuente, para soñar otra vez la juventud pasada. (Later you had to understand that you couldn't live action or joy with the perfection they had in your dreams by the fountain. And the day you understood that sad truth, even though you were far away in a strange land, you wished to return to that garden and sit again by the fountain, to dream again of past youth.)

While the collection is mostly sad and nostalgic, it also has moments of celebration. For example, "El estío" (Summer) and "El amante" (The Lover) recall happy holidays in Málaga in 1933. These prose poems share a similar mood with a poem written around the same time, "Elegía anticipada," where he says their love broke free from time.

When he thought about Glasgow, in "Ciudad caledonia," he described his dislike for the city. He found it boring and ugly. He also disliked the practical, strict people. It felt like a prison to him, draining his youth. One prose poem, "Escrito en el agua" (Written in the Water), was removed from the second edition by censors in Spain. Cernuda himself decided not to include it in the third edition. The title refers to Keats's epitaph, "Here Lies One Whose Name was Writ in Water." Cernuda thought it was too dramatic. It's another story about how time destroys things and how reality crushes hopes and dreams. There's also a long reflection in "El acorde" (The Chord) about his idea of cosmic harmony. This is a fleeting feeling of unity. He calls it Gemüt, a German word, and says the closest thing to it is "entering another body in the act of love [and thereby obtaining] oneness with life by way of the lover's body."

Variaciones sobre tema mexicano (1950)

The first piece in this book is called "La lengua" (The Language). Since leaving Spain in 1938, Cernuda had missed being surrounded by his native language. His visit to Mexico in 1949, the Hispanic culture, and the warm sun seemed to spark his creativity. These prose poems and his next poetry collection, Con las horas contadas, were the result. He wrote these pieces in 1950, back at Mount Holyoke, and the collection was published in 1952.

In the introduction, he discusses how Spanish writers often showed little interest in Mexico. As a child, he wasn't curious about the country. His interest began by chance after he arrived in America. Curiosity turned into interest, then into love, which he explores in these pieces. This is one of Cernuda's sunniest collections. The sad introspection of Ocnos is gone. In "Miravalle," he is charmed by a palace. He feels he could stay there forever. In "Lo nuestro" (Our Own), seeing local children begging reminds him of his homeland. His first thought is to return to the USA. But then he realizes Mexico is alive, despite its poverty. He wonders if poverty is the price for being so alive. The USA seems empty and unimportant in comparison.

In "El mirador" (The Viewpoint), he describes how the landscape, so similar to Spain, is taking hold of him. In "Perdiendo el tiempo" (Wasting Time), he shows a scene of relaxed enjoyment. "Ocio" (Leisure) reflects on the need for idleness. In "El patio" (The Courtyard), he feels like he's back in the Seville of his childhood. He has finally found it again. In "La posesión" (The Possession), he describes his urge to become one with the land. In "Centro del hombre" (Center of Man), he observes that the feeling of being a stranger, which was constant during his exile, has disappeared. He had been living with his body in one place and his soul in another. Now they are reunited:

con todo o con casi todo concordabas, y las cosas, aire, luz, paisaje, criaturas, te eran amigas. (you agreed with everything or almost everything, and things, air, light, landscape, creatures, were friends with you.)

However, these moments of harmony can only be brief. On the plane back to the USA, he had to hide his tears. He then commented that this would add to the idea that he was dry and cold-hearted.

Short Stories and Drama

He published three short stories, Tres narraciones (Three Narratives), in Argentina in 1948. The stories are:

• "El Viento en la Colina" (The Wind on the Hill), written in 1938.
• "El Indolente" (The Indolent One), written in 1929.
• "El Sarao" (The Soiree), written in 1941-42.

Two more stories appeared in Hora de España: "En la costa de Santiniebla" (On the Coast of Santiniebla) (1937) and "Sombras en el salón" (Shadows in the Living Room) (1937). The latter describes social gatherings where literary topics, arguments, and matters of the heart were discussed. It seems to be a fictionalized account of the end of Cernuda's relationship with Serafín Ferro.

He completed one play, La familia interrumpida (The Interrupted Family), in 1937-38. It was published after his death in 1988. Before that, in 1931, he wrote 9 pages of an untitled play that he never finished.

During his time in London, probably in 1946, he started translating Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida into Spanish poetry. This task taught him a lot and gave him great satisfaction. He thanked E.M. Wilson, a British scholar, for his help with difficult parts. Cernuda finished his translation in 1950. It was published in 1953.

He also translated part of the first act of Romeo and Juliet.

See also

In Spanish: Luis Cernuda para niños