In 1942, the Spanish poet Luis Rosales published his first major collection, 'Abril' (April), which established him as a leading figure of the Catholic and nationalist poetry that flourished under Franco. Rosales, who would later become a member of the Royal Spanish Academy, wrote poems that celebrated the traditional values of Spanish culture and the victory of the Nationalist forces. His work was widely praised by the regime and helped to define the official literary culture of the post-war years.

Rosales's poetry was influential in shaping the literary culture of Francoist Spain, and his work was studied and admired by a generation of young poets who sought to reconcile their Catholicism with their literary ambitions. Rosales's poetry also represented a departure from the avant-garde experimentation of the Generation of '27, and it helped to establish a more traditional, formal style that would dominate Spanish poetry for decades.