Pablo Neruda

Pablo Neruda

About Pablo Neruda

Pablo Neruda was born Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto in Chile on July 12, 1904. He is said to be the greatest poet of his lifetime who wrote in Spanish.

Neruda started writing around the age of ten, and his first piece, Enthusiasm and Perseverance was published at the age of thirteen by a local newspaper, La Manana. His compilation of poems, Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, was published in 1924. This work helped him become known as an important Chilean poet. With this success, Neruda ended his formal education to pursue his love of writing poetry.

In addition to writing, Neruda held various diplomatic posts starting in 1927. When he returned to Chile in 1943, he was elected to the Senate and became part of the Communist Party.

Communism was outlawed in Chile in 1948, and a warrant was issued for Neruda's arrest. Because of this, he lost his Senate seat and had to flee from the authorities. Despite having to hide, Neruda continued writing during this time and published Canto General (1950).

In 1952 he returned to Chile because there was no longer a threat of being arrested. It was during this time that he married his third and final wife.

Neruda received various awards during his lifetime:

  • International Peace Prize (1950)
  • Lenin Peace Prize (1953)
  • Stalin Peace Prize (1953)
  • Nobel Prize for Literature (1971)

Pablo Neruda died of leukemia in Santiago, Chile on September 23, 1973.

Interesting Facts about Pablo Neruda

  1. Neruda went to school to become a French teacher before dropping out and turning his attention to poetry.
  2. Some of his poetry has been difficult to translate out of its native Spanish.
  3. His family did not approve of him having a career as a poet, which is why he used the pseudonym Pablo Neruda, which he chose out of memory of the Czechoslovak poet Jan Neruda.
  4. He kept a framed picture of Walt Whitman on his table. Whitman was an inspiration for Neruda's own writing.
  5. Neruda's first wife could not speak Spanish.
  6. Neruda was known as the people's poet.
  7. Many of his poems showed a celebration of sexuality, which caused some controversy.
  8. His political views greatly influenced his poetry.
  9. The Chilean Communist party nominated Neruda for president in 1971.

References

    Poems by Pablo Neruda

  • Walking Around

    Famous Poem

    in Famous Sad Poems

    It so happens I am sick of being a man.
    And it happens that I walk into tailorshops and movie houses
    dried up, waterproof, like a swan made of felt
    steering my way in a water of wombs and ashes.

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    • Stories 0
    • Shares 17
    • Favorited 0
    • Votes 3
    • Rating 5.00
  • Love Sonnet XI

    Famous Poem

    in Famous Love Poems

    I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair.
    Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets.
    Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day
    I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps.

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    • Stories 0
    • Shares 5933
    • Favorited 12
    • Votes 567
    • Rating 4.32
    • Poem of the Day
  • Love

    Famous Poem

    in Famous Sad Love Poems

    Because of you, in gardens of blossoming
    Flowers I ache from the perfumes of spring.
    I have forgotten your face, I no longer
    Remember your hands; how did your lips

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    • Stories 0
    • Shares 4145
    • Favorited 45
    • Votes 745
    • Rating 4.39
    • Poem of the Day
  • A Dog Has Died

    Famous Poem

    in Famous Friendship Poems

    My dog has died.
    I buried him in the garden
    next to a rusted old machine.

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    • Stories 0
    • Shares 419
    • Favorited 7
    • Votes 102
    • Rating 4.16
  • Tonight I Can Write The Saddest Lines

    Famous Poem


    in Famous Sad Love Poems

    Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

    Write, for example, 'The night is shattered
    and the blue stars shiver in the distance.'

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    • Stories 7
    • Shares 9837
    • Favorited 76
    • Votes 1549
    • Rating 4.50
    • Poem of the Day
    Featured Shared Story

    Neruda's poem resonates. Letting go is a process, when love is not requited anymore. How is it possible to do so easily? It is not. Today we are constantly surrounded by memories. The pain...

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