Antonio MACHADO: most important works

Antonio Machado is one of the most acclaimed poets of Spanish letters. This Sevillian writer is usually studied within the so-called "Generation of 98", a group of writers, artists and intellectuals who took a step beyond Modernism and created a sublime literary production that has marked epoch. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to focus on most important works by Antonio Machado so that, thus, you can know what are his essential literary contributions within his production.

Index

1. Introduction to the work of Antonio Machado
2. Solitudes. Galleries Other poems (1907)
3. Fields of Castile (1912)
4. Juan de Mairena (1936)
5. The theater of Antonio Machado

Before getting to know the most important works of Antonio Machado, we are going to make a brief introduction to his literary production and, thus, better contextualize the author.

Antonio Machado Ruiz was a Spanish poet who was born in Seville in 1875 and died in Collioure in 1939, therefore, we are facing one of the

The beginnings of his literary production are characterized by being texts of modernist aesthetics, since it was the current that prevailed at the time. But, over time, he began to cultivate a kind of poetic style more intimate and full of symbolism, something that formed the first bases of what, later, would be his poetic legacy.

And it is that if we know Antonio Machado for something, it is because of his poems with a high human and social commitment. In addition, it is an author who relies on popular wisdom to recover it and give it a new look and adapted to its context.

His literary career began in 1907 when one of the most applauded and recognized works by Antonio Machado appeared: the collection of poems Solitudes. Galleries Other poems. From this moment on, his career did not stop growing and, today, we have poetic works but also theatrical works that are essential to know.

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This is the first of Antonio Machado's great works and, as we have said, it was the first that he published. It is a collection of poems that was published in 1903 and is classified within its first stage literary, that is, with modernist overtones in its literary style and with an abundance of landscape description.

It is important to remember that, in Spain, at the beginning of the century the Literary modernismIt was in full swing and, for this reason, many of the authors of the Generation of '98 also have works that follow these aesthetic premises. Some modernist features that we see in these poems are:

• Descriptions of landscapes with a precious tone
• Melancholic tone
• There is hardly a plot line
• Typical themes of Modernism such as: loneliness, lost childhood, the passage of time, etc.

However, an interesting point of this collection of poems is that many symbols appear, a metaphor for everything that lies in the world hidden from our eyes. Some of the symbols most used by Machado in this collection of poems are the labyrinth, the river, the sea, autumn, twilight, etc.

In all the poems we do find a theme that usually appears in the vast majority of texts: the search for the "I", that is, of one's own identity.

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"Campos de Castilla" is another of Antonio Machado's essential works. This collection of poems appeared after the author was in Soria And, therefore, you will spend your days contemplating the Castilian lands and the nature of the region. The first edition of this work appeared in 1912 although, later, new poems were added and the initial version modified.

The collection of poems that has reached us today has 56 poems in which we see a stylistic change in the author. Unlike the style that he offered us in "Soledades", in this new collection of poems the author opts for a less subjective and introspective lyric to raise his eyes and look at reality that enveloped him.

The abundant symbolism of "Soledades" is attenuated in "Campos de Castilla"; there are still important symbols but these are more general, more objective, more collective. The poet describes here the landscapes he meets and the people who accompany him at this moment in his life in which he is so at peace and in contact with nature.

Therefore, we find the "I" takes a back seat. Intimacy is overcome and reality is placed before us. We are facing a return to poetry with more realistic overtones and that focuses on recounting the fields of Castile, the way of life that its citizens have, etc.

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Within the literary production of Antonio Machado, "Juan de Mairena" is another of the essential works. It was published in 1936, before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. And in this set of texts we find different types such as, for example, notes, memories, sentences, etc.

We must know that Juan de Mairena is one of the heteronyms used by Antonio Machado (like Abel Martín). The author himself publicly acknowledged that Juan de Mairena was his philosophical "I", therefore, he distances himself from poetry to delve into a more reflective plane. However, he is a "popular" philosopher, that is, one that is based on making reflections understandable to people and using words that are easy to understand and available to everyone.

Juan de Mairena's production was published in 1936 and, in this volume, we find different texts produced by Machado: from essays, to notes from a teacher, to humorous, reflective, sarcastic texts, etc. A literary gem that brings us closer to this acclaimed author.

We close this lesson on the most important works of Antonio Machado by talking about the author's theatrical production. Although he was mainly known for his poetry, the truth is that Machado left us some very interesting and significant plays. Here we discover you the 3 most important:

The oleanders (1928)

In 1928, "Las oleanders", one of Machado's most acclaimed works, was premiered. It tells us the story of the Duchess of Tormes, whose husband has committed suicide. Faced with this situation, the Duchess finds herself in a reality plagued with debts. She will have to start selling properties in order to survive and not be ruined. But a gentleman will appear who will revolutionize the heart of the protagonist.

La Lola goes to the ports (1929)

This is Antonio Machado's best-known play and, in reality, it was a co-production carried out by his brother Manuel Machado. The plot tells the story of Lola, a woman from Cádiz and a flamenco singer who falls in love with Don Diego, a wealthy gentleman. She will invite him to spend a few days at her farm and Lola will accept her invitation.

Cousin Fernanda (1931)

This play was also written by Antonio and Manuel Machado, the two brothers who managed to succeed with their creations. The play introduces us to a married couple who live immersed in boredom and monotony but, one day, Cousin Fernanda will arrive to spend a few months with them. A young, idealistic and beautiful woman who will be a whirlwind for the couple's peaceful life.

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