Table Of ContentPablo
Neruda
Dominic Moran
Pablo Neruda
TitlesintheseriesCriticalLivespresenttheworkofleadingcultural
figuresofthemodernperiod.Eachbookexploresthelifeofthe
artist,writer,philosopherorarchitectinquestionandrelatesitto
theirmajorworks.
JeanGenet GeorgesBataille
StephenBarber StuartKendall
MichelFoucault LudwigWittgenstein
DavidMacey EdwardKanterian
PabloPicasso FrankLloydWright
MaryAnnCaws RobertMcCarter
FranzKafka OctavioPaz
SanderL.Gilman NickCaistor
GuyDebord WalterBenjamin
AndyMerrifield EstherLeslie
MarcelDuchamp CharlesBaudelaire
CarolineCros RosemaryLloyd
JamesJoyce JeanCocteau
AndrewGibson JamesS.Williams
FrankLloydWright SergeiEisenstein
RobertMcCarter MikeO’Mahony
Jean-PaulSartre SalvadorDalí
AndrewLeak MaryAnnCaws
NoamChomsky SimonedeBeauvoir
WolfgangB.Sperlich UrsulaTidd
JorgeLuisBorges EdgarAllanPoe
JasonWilson KevinHayes
ErikSatie GertrudeStein
MaryE.Davis LucyDaniel
Pablo Neruda
Dominic Moran
reaktion books
ForKatherine,atlast
PublishedbyReaktionBooksLtd
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Firstpublished2009
Copyright©DominicMoran2009
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transmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopy-
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PrintedandboundinGreatBritain
bycpi/AntonyRowe,Chippenham,Wiltshire
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
Moran,Dominic(DominicP.)
PabloNeruda.–(Criticallives)
1.Neruda,Pablo,1904–1973.
2.Poets,Chilean–20thcentury–Biography.
I.Title II.Series
861.6’2-dc22
isbn:9781861895141
Contents
Introduction 7
1 FromtheFrontiertotheMetropolis 14
2 ResidenceonEarth 46
3 SpainintheHeart 64
4 AVisionofAmerica 84
5 LoveandPolitics 118
6 CrimesandCompromises 138
7 ACubanMissile 165
8 AFinalFlourishandaLastDefeat 179
References 199
SelectBibliography 213
Acknowledgements 219
PhotoAcknowledgements 221
NerudaduringhistimeasChileanAmbassadortoFrance,1971.
Introduction
Thatmostobduratelybookishofwriters,JorgeLuisBorges
(1899–1986),oncereflected,‘Fewthingshaveeverhappenedto
me,thoughIhavereadagreatmany.’1Nothingcouldbefurther
fromthetruthinthecaseofPabloNeruda(1904–1973),wholed
somethinglikethearchetypalLatinAmericanliterarylife,onethat
oftenteeteredperilouslybetweenhighdramaandthelowestfarce,
andinwhichthepersonalandthepublic,aestheticsandpolitics,
manandwork,wereandremainallbutinextricable.Perhapsthe
onlywriterinthemodernagewithwhomhecanbefruitfully
comparedisVictorHugo.Besidesbeingapraeternaturallygifted
andstaggeringlyprolificpoet,producingmorethanthirtybooks
ofversewhichweighinatoverfourthousandpages,fromanearly
agehebecameembroiledinbothnationalandinternationalaffairs
inwaysthatwerebyturnsnaive,enterprising,courageous,frivolous
andoftenprofoundlycontroversial.Inthelate1920shefound
himselfoutintheFarEast,witnessing,fromoutofamiasmaof
fever,opiumfumesandcheapwhisky,thedeaththroesofthe
BritishEmpire.LessthanadecadelaterhewasinSpainatthe
outbreakoftheCivilWar,aneventthatturnedhisworldupside
downandeventuallyledhimtoembraceanincreasinglymilitant
communism.Inthe1940s,asafullyfledgedPartymember,he
servedintheChileansenate,wherehisbraveprotestsagainsta
corruptandoppressivegovernmentledhimtobestrippedofhis
postandforcedintohidingwithapriceonhishead.Inthe1950s
7
and’60shisunbendingpublicadherencetotheradicalLeft
frequentlylandedhiminhotwater,especiallyafterpersistent
rumoursconcerningheinousgoings-onintheSovietUnionwere
confirmedandtheussrtooktoinvading‘insubordinate’Eastern
blocstatesatwill.Inhisfinalyears,despitesevereillhealth,he
campaignedtobringsocialismtohisnativeChile,butlivedjust
longenoughtoseeGeneralAugustoPinochetshatterthedream
forwhichhehadfoughtsotenaciously.Somehow,throughout
allofthis,hispenseemednevertorest.These,asthereaderwill
quicklygather,arenomorethanheavilyeditedhighlightsfroma
lifeburstingwiththetypeofincidentandupheavalthatwould
lookmoreathomeinaRomanticmelodramaorMexicansoap
operathaninasynopticandpurportedlysaneliterarybiography.
Itis,Ithink,hardlycoincidentalthatNerudahasappearedas
acharacterinaplethoraofnovels,playsandstories,aswell,of
course,asinMichaelRadford’swonderful(though,fromastrictly
biographicalpointofview,wildlyinaccurate)filmIlPostino(1994),
itselfbasedlooselyonAntonioSkármeta’snovelArdientepaciencia
(‘BurningPatience’;1985).AsIwritethisforewordheisaboutto
bereincarnatedbyPlácidoDomingoinMexicancomposerDaniel
Catán’soperaticre-imaginingofthefilm,duetobepremieredin
LosAngelesin2009.Perhapstheoutsize,gloriouslyimprobable
worldofoperawillprovetobetheoneinwhichthelarger-than-life
figureofNerudafindsitselfmostathome.
Itishardlysurprisingthatalifesocrammedwithhyperbole
ofeverysorthaselicitedextreme,oftenpoliticallymotivated
reactionsfromcriticsandbiographers,someofwhom,suchas
fellowhardlinerVolodiaTeitelboim,veertowardshagiography,
whilstothers,likeDavidSchidlowsky,seembentonperforminga
full-scalehatchetjob.Certainlyitisdifficult,perhapseveninappro-
priate,toremaincompletelyimpartialwhendealingwithalifeas
flagrantlypartisanasNeruda’s,andthroughoutthecourseofmy
ownretellingIhavenoqualmsaboutmakingmyviewsoncertain
8
Description:Pablo Neruda (1904–73) is one of Latin America’s best known poets, adored by readers for the passionate love lyrics written during his early years in his native Chile, and respected by critics for the dark, hypnotic verses he composed during his later, solitary years as a diplomat based in the F
