1904–1973 Chile’s most beloved poet Pablo Neruda 1904–1973 Chile’s most beloved poet

Pablo Neruda Born Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto in Parral, Chile in 1904 Father was a government railway worker Published poems under a false name derived from a Czech poet 1971: Nobel Prize for Literature The Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez once called Neruda “the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language.”  Harold Bloom included Neruda as one of the 26 writers central to the “Western tradition” in his book The Western Canon.

Pablo Neruda: Writer & Diplomat 1935: Residencia en la tierra [Residence on Earth] marked Neruda’s emergence as an important international poet Residencia en la tierra foreshadows the post-World War II philosophy of existentialism: the work reflects a world which is largely chaotic and senseless Communism rescued Neruda from the despair he expressed in the first parts of Residencia en la tierra, and led to a change in his approach to poetry.

Chile 2013 Population: 17.62 million Roughly the size of Texas The majority religion in Chile is Christian (71%): 59%  Catholic 16% Protestant or Evangelical 3% other 22% agnostics and atheist

Socialist/ Communist Era in Chile The Communists initially came to power as a result of: the popular electoral revolution in 1964-65 due to widespread unemployment in the wake of the 1958 Chilean financial crisis the 9.5 earthquake in 1960 the drought in 1962 the lower-class frustrations over wealth polarization and perceived oligarchy The Communist Revolution came shortly after the 1964 elections and lasted until about 1973 when a military dictatorship was installed.

Pablo Neruda: Writer & Diplomat Chilean consul to Rangoon, Burma, 1927 Colombo, Ceylon, 1929 Batavia, Java, 1930 Buenos Aires, Siam, Cambodia, and Madrid, early 1930s Mexico, 1941-44 Elected to Chilean senate as Communist, 1945 Self-exiled in Mexico, 1948-53 due to outlaw of communism Nominated for president on Chilean Communist Party ticket, 1970 Chilean ambassador to France, 1971-72 Member of World Peace Council, 1950-73. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/pablo-neruda

His work, both poetry and prose, advocated an active role in social change rather than simply describing his feelings. Neruda was influenced by Surrealists like Salvador Dali.

“United Fruit Company” 1950 Table Group Discussion Questions What dominant imagery patterns does Neruda use? Why? 2. Make connections to history—how does this poem show Neruda’s desire to affect social change with his poetry? 3. How does this poem connect to themes of the Mexican Revolution and Economic Imperialism?