He was also a founding member of the Spanish University Union (SEU), working with pre-war Falangist publications and writing texts inspired by Ernesto Giménez Caballero, whom he admired.
At the start of the Spanish Civil War, Rafael Garcia Serrano joined the insurgent troops of General Emilio Mola in Pamplona.
This was followed by "La fiel infantería" which won him the National Novel Prize in 1943, though its publication was later revoked owing to its subjection to religious censorship by the primate archbishop of Toledo.
The theme of the Civil War remained present in later works such as "Los ojos perdidos", "La paz dura fifteen días" and the acclaimed "Dictionary for a backpack" (Diccionario para un macuto).
His novel "La fiel infantería" is noteworthy for its pronounced avant-garde features, such as a multiplicity of situations with a non-linear plot and a triple narrative point of view.
Expression is concise, condensed, and elliptical, filled with bold metaphors and allusions, sometimes obscure to the military context - echoing Valle-Inclán and Ramón Gómez de la Serna.
[6][8][9] Subsequent works, such as "Eugenio o proclamación de la primavera", while adhering to more traditional canons, still feature the common trait of conveying characters proud to pursue a just cause, though possibly not without creating a certain apologia for barbarism.
The film was considered socially controversial due to its portrayal of events from the Civil War, during a period in which Spanish society attempted to move on from the conflict.