Sharing the Appeal of Ultraísmo, the Avant-Garde Literary Movement That Arose in Spain

My specialty is Spanish literature, specifically the period in the first half of the 20th century up to 1939, when the Spanish Civil War ended. I aim to understand not just literature but all cultural activities in relation to the society of that time. In particular, I am conducting detailed research on the avant-garde literary movement known as "Ultraísmo" (Ultraism), which emerged around 1920, centered in Madrid.

This movement developed mainly in the field of poetry. It began in 1919 when a group of young poets who frequented Madrid's literary cafés, driven by a desire to innovate Spanish literature, published a manifesto. At that time, avant-garde movements were emerging across Europe, such as Futurism, which celebrated the dynamism of machine civilization, and Dada, which advocated for the destruction of existing literature. Furthermore, since Spain was a neutral country during World War I, artists from various countries came to Spain to escape the ravages of war. Ultraísmo was born amidst these influences and stimuli.

You might think it was a remarkable literary movement in which famous poets played an active role. However, the reality is quite different. When I began my research 20 years ago, Ultraísmo was little known even in Spain, and it has only become a subject of serious academic study in the last 15 years or so. This is because the poets at the core of the movement lacked exceptional talent and produced almost no works of literary value.

So why am I drawn to Ultraísmo? One reason is the charm of its "heta-uma" (skillfully clumsy) quality. Although many of the works are amateurish, they convey the atmosphere of the Madrid cafés where poets debated, engaged in trial and error, and devoted themselves to their craft, as well as the pulse of the city. Furthermore, by conducting various linguistic and expressive experiments and liberating words from the conventions and preconceived notions of existing poetry, they opened up new possibilities for Spanish poetry. The collaborations between literature and the plastic arts (especially painting), as well as the exchanges with Latin American poets and artists, are also fascinating.

Many of the Ultraísta poets led unfortunate lives. I hope to unearth their half-forgotten works and activities from under layers of dust and convey their appeal. Moreover, Ultraísmo has served as a gateway, broadening my interest in the literature, art, and society of early 20th-century Spain. In the future, I hope to share information about all of these aspects.