Exercises

In early twentieth century Spain, the dominant literary currents of the day were divided between a push for a spartan, utilitarian prose and a retreat to the well-worn stylings of "old masters". But there was an intrepid group of writers, artists, and thinkers concerned with a new linguistic vitality, incorporating the latest scientific knowledge while rising above mere functionalism. Taking his cues from Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Charlie Chaplin, and his mentor, José Ortega y Gasset, Benjamín Jarnés distilled these ideas into a series of short prose pieces dubbed Exercises (Ejercicios, 1927), in which he advocated for a language rife with"metaphorical fireworks", a prose that eschews what we might call today "craft" for a fecundity of descriptive flourishes, logical leaps (that don't always connect), and a brash disregard for all schools and techniques.

Benjamín Jarnés (1888–1949) was among the foremost avant-garde writers of early twentieth century Spain. As a young man, he attended seminary before joining the army, where he served for a decade before turning his attentions to literary endeavors. His 1926 novel The Useless Professor is widely regarded as Spain's first avant-garde novel. After establishing himself as one of the preeminent voices of literary Spain, Jarnés would be forced to flee Spain after Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War (he fought on the side of the Republic, despite preferring to remain apolitical), settling eventually in Mexico, where he took as his primary task the writing of numerous biographies, including those of Stefan Zweig and Miguel de Cervantes. His other works include Teoría del zumbel (1930), Viviana y Merlín (1930), Rubricas: Nuevos ejercisos (1931), Escenas junto a la muerte (1931), Fauna contemporánea: Ensayos breves (1933), and Venus dinámica (1943).