Romancero Gitano

Federico García Lorca is one of the most outstanding poets of Spanish literature; his most celebrated work “Romancero gitano”, published in 1927, is innovative and uniquely popular. While using the “romance” (traditional medieval’s era stillistic form for telling stories in poetry) Lorca’s ballades are a response or critical reaction to the multiple social and political affaires that shaped the Spanish world during the beginning of the 20th century.

The book is a suggestive stylization of Andalusian culture, where the mysticism and the old mythical traditions are presented true eighteen romances with emphasis on the interplay of the time (past and present) and a covered interplay of many ancient civilizations which used to live in the Peninsula Ibérica centuries before the actual Spanish Nation was formed.

According to the tendence of surrealism in the literary sphere, the poet uses the verses as a vehicle to move the outlines of a regular day of the gypsie’s life to the fantastic images of his personal dreamscapes. Even been original, Lorca however reflects the influence of traditional Spanish poets like Luis de Gongora, Antonio Machado and Juan Ramón Jiménez.

Using the method performed and proposed by Michael Metzeltin and Margit Thir, comprending the analysis of linguistic and symbolic elements and the free association among them, and following their exclusive sequencial schedule it’s possible to establish some personal and probably certain interpretation about the meaning and final objective of Lorca’s work.

Covered by the blend of a folk and high culture literary work, the storyline of “Romancero Gitano” remains intact and is “easily” identifiable. The poet hardly criticizes the “antiquated or double morality” of his society, the incapacity to accept the “non-hispanic population” and the persecution against all who are weak or different compare to the people detenting the power.

The gypsies appear oppressed by the rest of the world around them and Lorca shows their elemental concepts about love, hate, life, death, honor and revenge mixed with their faith, legends, superstitions, dances and deeply sad songs.

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