Alonso's literary career can essentially be split into two convenient blocks. As a poet his early work (such as 1921's
Poemas puros; Poemillas de la ciudad and 1925's
El viento y el verso) is widely considered inferior to that of his fellow poets in the Generation of '27, and he himself acknowledged his limitations by referring to himself as a 'poeta de rachas' or 'part-time poet'. His mature work, however, particularly
Hijos de la ira ('Children of Wrath', 1944, 2nd ed. 1946), is recognised as fundamental in the literature of the post-
Civil War years. Alonso's later poetry is also full of agnostic anguish—of a man in search of God, yet fearful of the implications were this God not to exist. As a literary critic Alonso's impact was substantial; in particular he is credited with revolutionizing the study of Spanish
Baroque poetry, particularly the work of
Góngora, and his critical work was praised for its intellectual rigour. Highlights include
Poesía de San Juan de la Cruz (1942),
Poesía española: Ensayo de métodos y límites estilísticos (1950) and
Estudios y ensayos gongorinos (1955). ==Awards and honors==