‘Emprendiendo el camino del corazón’: the role played by memory in Rafael Alberti's Retornos de lo vivo lejano

Abstract

The poems of Retornos de lo vivo lejano (1948–1956) were written during Rafael Alberti's residence in Argentina (1940–1963). Forced to leave Spain at the end of the Spanish Civil War, in this celebrated collection he recalls and appraises pivotal events from his childhood, youth and adulthood. Far from simply seeking to escape from his exiled condition by retreating into nostalgia, as often argued by critics, this article contends that Alberti uses memory as an analytical tool. In the first and second chapters, he undertakes a journey of self-exploration as he meditates upon the development of his poetic vocation and commemorates his discovery of the redemptive nature of love. Finally, in the third chapter, in which he pays homage to his fellow countrymen, his preferred writers and poetry itself, he creates a set of ethical values upon which he bases his poetic identity during the long years of physical exile.