About
Pablo Neruda, born Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto in Parral, Chile, was encouraged by Gabriela Mistral and published his first collection in 1923, gaining international fame with Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (1924). A career diplomat, he served as consul in several Asian and European countries. Politically engaged, he joined the Communist Party, became a senator, and went into exile after criticizing President Videla. His major work, Canto General, is an epic poetic history of Latin America. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971 and died in Santiago in 1973, shortly after Pinochet's coup.
* 1904-07-12 — † 1973-09-23
Major works
- Crepusculario (1923)poetry collection
- Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada (1924)poetry collection
- Residencia en la tierra (1933)poetry collection
- Canto General (1950)poetic epic
- Odas elementales (1954)poetry collection
Key milestones
- 1945Elected Chilean senator
- 1971Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature
- 1973Dies in Santiago, twelve days after Pinochet's coup
Themes
lovenaturepolitical commitmentLatin American historyexile and solitude
Sources: nobelprize.org · britannica.com · fundacionneruda.org