Neruda: The Biography of a Poet - Softcover

Eisner, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062694219 ISBN 13: 9780062694218

Publisher: Ecco, 2019

Synopsis

A Finalist for the PEN/Bograd Weld Prize for Biography  

The most definitive biography to date of the poet Pablo Neruda, a moving portrait of one of the most intriguing, influential, and controversial figures in Latin American history

Few poets have captured the global imagination like Pablo Neruda. In his native Chile, across Latin America, and in many other parts of the world, his name and legacy have become almost synonymous with liberation movements, with the language of erotic love, as well as misogyny. 

Neruda: The Biography of a Poet is the product of fifteen years of research by Mark Eisner, writer, editor, translator, and documentary filmmaker. The book vividly depicts Neruda's monumental life, potent verse, while examining his ardent belief in the "poet's obligation" to use poetry for social good. It also bravely provides the context to best understand and evaluate Neruda's darker behavior.

In a novel fashion, the book braids together three major strands of Neruda's life--his world-revered poetry; his political engagement; and his tumultuous, even controversial, personal life--forming a single cohesive narrative of intimacy and breadth.

The fascinating events of Neruda's life are thus interspersed with Eisner's thoughtful examinations of the poems, both as works of art in their own right and as mirrors of Neruda's life and times. This creates a book that animates Neruda's riveting story in a new way--one that offers a compelling narrative version of Neruda's life, undergirded by exhaustive research, yet designed to bring this colossal literary figure to a broader audience, through an unflinching, through biography that reads like novel.

About this title

About the Author

Mark Eisner is a writer, editor, and translator. Neruda: The Biography of a Poet is the product of fifteen years of in-depth research, including many primary interviews with members of Neruda's intimate circle, who offered rare insights into this mysterious public figure's life.

Previously, Eisner conceived, edited, and was one of the principal translators for City Lights' The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems. He also wrote the introduction to City Lights' first ever English translation of Neruda's venture of the infinite man, a project he developed. Mark has also produced a documentary on Neruda, narrated by Isabel Allende.

Moving on from Neruda, he co-edited Resistencia: Poems of Protest and Revolution,"an anthology published by Tin House in 2020. Mark is currently writing the biography Art as a Weapon: Tina Modotti and the Mexican Cultural Renaissance. It will be published by Yale University Press in 2026.

He has long been involved with the Red Poppy Art House, an impactful intercultural hub of artistic life and activity in San Francisco.

Mark received a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. Later, he earned a M.A. in Latin American Studies from Stanford University, where he subsequently served as a Visiting Scholar.

From the Back Cover

Few poets have captured the global imagination like Pablo Neruda. In his native Chile, across Latin America, and in many other parts of the world, his name and legacy have become almost synonymous with liberation movements, and with the language of erotic love.

Neruda: The Biography of a Poet is the product of fifteen years of research by Mark Eisner, writer, translator, and documentary filmmaker. The book vividly depicts Neruda’s monumental life, potent verse, and ardent belief in the “poet’s obligation” to use poetry for social good. It braids together three major strands of Neruda’s life—his world-revered poetry; his political engagement; and his tumultuous, even controversial, personal life—forming a single cohesive narrative of intimacy and breadth.

Edition details

• Publisher: Ecco
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062694219
• ISBN 13: 9780062694218
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 640