Pablo Neruda was a fascinating character. Born in 1904, he started writing poetry at age 13 and wrote in a wide variety of styles including surrealism, historical epics, political manifestos, a prose autobiography, and passionate love poems. One of his most famous includes Twenty Love Poems and A Song of Despair which became famous and rather infamous for its eroticism. It was first published in 1924 and became Neruda’s most famous work, going onto sell twenty million copies worldwide.
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In addition to his poetic accomplishment, Pablo Neruda was internationally recognized as a diplomat, fostering relations between Chile and the world. However, he came under scrutiny when President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla outlawed communism and a warrant was issued for his arrest on account of Neruda’s own communist beliefs. Neruda hid in a basement for months before escaping into the mountains and fleeing to Argentina. He later returned to Chile and became a close advisor to President Salvador Allende. During this time, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971, dramatically recounting his escape years earlier during his lecture at the event.
He died in 1973 when a military coup overthrew Allende’s government. His death is suspected as foul play: he was initially hospitalized for cancer and was reported to have died of a heart failure. However, in 2015 examination of his death found evidence he may have been given an injection that killed him, likely due to enemies that were overthrowing the regime he was loyal to. The case is still being looked at but Spanish medical doctors have reported it is highly likely Neruda did not perish of heart failure as was claimed.
Whatever the case, Neruda is a fascinating politician, diplomat, and a masterful poet. Celebrate his winning of the Nobel Prize today and crack open a few of his poem collections. We recommend:
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