From the oral tradition to the first authors
As in many countries, the literature of the Canary Islands is based on oral tradition. Over time, the genres opened up and gave way to epic poetry, baroque, neoclassical and even romanticism. As in the whole of Europe, artistic currents are arriving on the islands, but a little later, shall we say! Some authors have marked their century: Antonio de Viana (1578-1650) and his poem of sixteen songs about the conquest of Tenerife Antigüedades de las Islas Afortunadas ; José de Viera y Clavijo (1731-1813) and his Noticias de la historia general de las Islas Canarias ; Tomás de Iriarte (1750-1791), whose uncle was a disciple of Voltaire, is known for Fábulas Literarias (1782) ; or the military man Nicolas Estévanez de Murphy (1838-1914), author of poems such as Canarias and Musa canaria. As far as the theatre is concerned, let us remember Ángel Guimerá who gave his name to the oldest theatre in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Born in 1845 in Tenerife and died in 1924 in Barcelona, he is renowned for his work with characteristics of both Romanticism and Realism. He is one of the greatest representatives of the Catalan renaissance. It is possible to admire a marble bust in Tenerife and Barcelona.
And more recently
Some 20th century authors have also left their mark on the Canary Islands. Domingo Pérez Minik (1903-1989) is one of the most recognized writers in Spanish literary criticism. He was awarded several prizes such as the National Theatre Prize in 1965, the Gold Medal for Fine Arts of the Cabildo de Tenerife in 1980 and the Literary Prize of the Canary Islands in 1984. We should also think of Mercedes Pinto (1883-1976) who was a novelist, playwright and poetess, nicknamed the "Canarian Poetess". His best known novel is El (1926) adapted for the cinema a few years later, in 1952 by Luis Buñuel. Finally, we should mention Rafael Arozarena (1923-2009), born and died on the islands, who wrote his best-known novel Mararía in 1973. Honorary member of the Canary Academy of Language, he received the Canary Islands Literature Prize in 1988.
If we had to remember only two: Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920) and Pedro Garcia Cabrera (1958-1981)
If he spent most of his life in Madrid, it was on the Canary Islands, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, that Benito Pérez Galdós, Spain's greatest realist novelist, was born in the 19th century. He lived there until the age of 20 and only returned once after that. The Canary Islanders still celebrate the author thanks to his birth house which has become a museum. In addition, for a long time the natives and tourists were able to admire his portrait on the old 1,000 pesetas note. His work is very extensive, so for those who want to discover it, let's mention his best known work: National Episodios, which tells the history of 19th century Spain in a romanticized way, in 46 volumes anyway. What is important to know is that his early writings are a mixture of history and fiction. Perhaps we could compare him to Honoré de Balzac, because the author's intention was to paint the middle class of his time. We should also mention Fortunata y Jacinta (1886-1887), often compared to Tolstoy's War and Peace, or Ángel Guerra (1891).
The second feather not to be forgotten is Pedro Garcia Cabrera, the most illustrious poet of the Canary Islands! Born in Vallehermoso in La Gomera, he has written several collections including the famous Liquenes and Transparencias fugadas. A fervent socialist activist, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison after the Civil War and was released in 1945.When a great French novelist talks about the Canaries
Illustrated for his novels Les particules élémentaires and Plateforme, Michel Houellebecq also wrote a few lines about the Canary Islands. In 2000, he published Lanzarote, a title inspired by the island of the same name. In its first edition, it is a boxed set including the story and a photo album of the island's landscapes. This story, led by an alter ego of Houellebecq, is a disenchanted travel tale of middle-class leisure tourism. Swinging, paedophilia and sect are also the themes of this story. Five years later, the author repeats with his novel The Possibility of an Island, whose plot also takes place on the island of Lanzarote. The author was awarded the Interallié prize in 2005 and three years later adapted the story for the cinema. The film was shot on the archipelago.
New authors not to be missed
Las Palmas is home to an author born in 1963 into a multicultural family: Jonathan Allen. He grew up with Spanish, English and French, but built his identity around the Canary Islands. Rooted and in love with his hometown, he is a university professor there. He is also the author of several novels such as Sangre Vieja (2015), El Conocimiento (2017). Between 2004 and 2008, he published Arturo Rey de Erbania, a historical fresco depicting the period of French influence on the Canary Islands. Thanks to his novel Julie et la guillotine, published by Éditions L'Harmattan in 2014, he reaches France and the French. It tells the story of a young high school girl in Paris linked to the fate of her guillotined ancestor during the Revolution. In 2018, he published two stories and a biographical essay, Les Voyages de Balzac. It creates a kind of imaginary bridge between the Fortunate Islands and the world of the illustrious writer.
The Editions L'Harmattan have created a collection of Canarian Letters in which we can find Jonathan Allen, but also Isabel Medina (Olympe de Gouges, la liberté pour bannière), Rosario Valcarcel (Moby Dick in the Canary Islands)..
