Essential Neruda - Softcover

Neruda-pablo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1852248629 ISBN 13: 9781852248628

Publisher: Bloodaxe Books, 2010

Synopsis

Essential-Neruda

About this title

About the Author:

Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was born Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto in Parral, Chile. He started publishing his poems in 1920, taking the pen name of Pablo Neruda, after his heroes Paul Verlaine and Czech poet Jan Neruda. He spent much of his adult life either in exile or in diplomatic posts under favourable Chilean governments. Philippe Noiret played him in the film "Il Postino", set in Italy during his exile there. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971. He was close to President Salvador Allende, but in hospital with cancer at the time of the coup d'etat led by Augusto Pinochet. His funeral a fortnight later became the first public protest against the Chilean military dictatorship.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Prefatory Note by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

There have been many Pablos in history, and Pablo Neruda is one to exceed Picasso in the prolific production of great works, as well as in the depths of his proletarian empathies.

I met this Pablo in the Hotel Havana Libre (once the Havana Hilton) in 1959 in the first days of revolutionary euphoria, and that night he spoke his poetry to several thousands of multi-ethnic Fidelistas (still in combat clothes) in the great government hall where the late dictator had held forth. His rapport with the masses was evident in every poem he spoke (with standing ovations), just as poems in this book speak to us all, Spanish-speaking or not.

Neruda had told me before the reading, "I love your wide-open poetry" — by which he meant, I believe, the poetry of the Beat Generation that we had published in San Francisco and some of which had been published in translation in Lunes de Revolución (the Monday literary supplement to the big daily).

And I answered, "You opened the door." I hope this edition will open the door for the greater American public (who needs these messages).

Lawrence Ferlinghetti San Francisco, January 2004

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloodaxe Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1852248629
• ISBN 13: 9781852248628
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 200