Pablo Neruda (Author of Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair)

more photos (2)

Pablo Neruda鈥檚 Followers (9,410)

Pablo Neruda

Born

in Parral, Maule Region, Chile

July 12, 1904

Died

September 23, 1973

Genre

Poetry, Biographies & Memoirs

Influences

Salvador Allende, Gabriela Mistral, Rafael Alberti, Federico Garcia Lo ...more

edit data

Pablo Neruda, born Ricardo Eli茅cer Neftal铆 Reyes Basoalto in 1904 in Parral, Chile, was a poet, diplomat, and politician, widely considered one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century. From an early age, he showed a deep passion for poetry, publishing his first works as a teenager. He adopted the pen name Pablo Neruda to avoid disapproval from his father, who discouraged his literary ambitions. His breakthrough came with Veinte poemas de amor y una canci贸n desesperada (Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, 1924), a collection of deeply emotional and sensual poetry that gained international recognition and remains one of his most celebrated works.
Neruda鈥檚 career took him beyond literature into diplomacy, a path that a Pablo Neruda, born Ricardo Eli茅cer Neftal铆 Reyes Basoalto in 1904 in Parral, Chile, was a poet, diplomat, and politician, widely considered one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century. From an early age, he showed a deep passion for poetry, publishing his first works as a teenager. He adopted the pen name Pablo Neruda to avoid disapproval from his father, who discouraged his literary ambitions. His breakthrough came with Veinte poemas de amor y una canci贸n desesperada (Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, 1924), a collection of deeply emotional and sensual poetry that gained international recognition and remains one of his most celebrated works.
Neruda鈥檚 career took him beyond literature into diplomacy, a path that allowed him to travel extensively and engage with political movements around the world. Beginning in 1927, he served in various consular posts in Asia and later in Spain, where he witnessed the Spanish Civil War and became an outspoken advocate for the Republican cause. His experiences led him to embrace communism, a commitment that would shape much of his later poetry and political activism. His collection Espa帽a en el coraz贸n (Spain in Our Hearts, 1937) reflected his deep sorrow over the war and marked a shift toward politically engaged writing.
Returning to Chile, he was elected to the Senate in 1945 as a member of the Communist Party. However, his vocal opposition to the repressive policies of President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla led to his exile. During this period, he traveled through various countries, including Argentina, Mexico, and the Soviet Union, further cementing his status as a global literary and political figure. It was during these years that he wrote Canto General (1950), an epic work chronicling Latin American history and the struggles of its people.
Neruda鈥檚 return to Chile in 1952 marked a new phase in his life, balancing political activity with a prolific literary output. He remained a staunch supporter of socialist ideals and later developed a close relationship with Salvador Allende, who appointed him as Chile鈥檚 ambassador to France in 1970. The following year, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, recognized for the scope and impact of his poetry. His later years were marked by illness, and he died in 1973, just days after the military coup that overthrew Allende. His legacy endures, not only in his vast body of work but also in his influence on literature, political thought, and the cultural identity of Latin America. ...more

Combine Editions
Pablo Neruda鈥檚 books

Average rating: 4.23 · 191,930 ratings · 12,451 reviews · 951 distinct works 鈥� Similar authors

	Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda, W.S. Merwin (Translator), Cristina Garc铆a (Introduction) 4.20 avg rating — 78,478 ratings — published 1924 — 399 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Poetry of Pablo Neruda by Pablo Neruda, Ilan Stavans (Editor) 4.44 avg rating — 20,191 ratings — published 1951 — 28 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	100 Love Sonnets by Pablo Neruda, Stephen Tapscott (Translator) 4.34 avg rating — 18,166 ratings — published 1959 — 132 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Love Poems by Pablo Neruda, Donald D. Walsh (Translator) 4.18 avg rating — 10,021 ratings — published 1952 — 63 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Captain's Verses by Pablo Neruda, Donald D. Walsh (Translator) 4.19 avg rating — 8,909 ratings — published 1952 — 98 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems by Pablo Neruda, Lawrence Ferlinghetti (Foreword), Robert Hass (Translator) 4.42 avg rating — 6,500 ratings — published 1979 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Veinte poemas de amor y una canci贸n de desesperada / Cien sonetos de amor 4.06 avg rating — 6,394 ratings — published 1924 — 44 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Memoirs 4.16 avg rating — 4,606 ratings — published 1974 — 171 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Residence on Earth 4.33 avg rating — 4,186 ratings — published 1933 — 61 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Selected Poems by Pablo Neruda, Nathaniel Tarn (Editor, Translator), Anthony Kerrigan (Translator) 4.36 avg rating — 4,138 ratings — published 1949 — 46 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Pablo Neruda…

Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day,聽according to聽early...

Polls

The best winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

Han Kang (2024)

21 votes, 7.1%

Sully Prudhomme (1901)

16 votes, 5.4%

Jon Fosse (2023)

14 votes, 4.7%

Gabriel Garc铆a M谩rquez (1982)

9 votes, 3.1%

Annie Ernaux (2022)

9 votes, 3.1%

Ernest Hemingway (The Old Man and the Sea) (1954)

8 votes, 2.7%

Toni Morrison (1993)

8 votes, 2.7%

Jos茅 Saramago (1998)

8 votes, 2.7%

Kazuo Ishiguro (2017)

8 votes, 2.7%

Jean-Paul Sartre (1964)

7 votes, 2.4%

Orhan Pamuk (2006)

7 votes, 2.4%

Bob Dylan (2016)

7 votes, 2.4%

Olga Tokarczuk (2018)

7 votes, 2.4%

John Steinbeck (1962)

6 votes, 2.0%

Rudyard Kipling (1907)

5 votes, 1.7%

Henri Bergson (1927)

5 votes, 1.7%

Albert Camus (1957)

5 votes, 1.7%

Samuel Beckett (1969)

5 votes, 1.7%

Seamus Heaney (1995)

5 votes, 1.7%

Elfriede Jelinek (2004)

5 votes, 1.7%

Abdulrazak Gurnah (2021)

5 votes, 1.7%

Gao Xingjian (2000)

4 votes, 1.4%

Louise Gl眉ck (2020)

4 votes, 1.4%

Theodor Mommsen (A History of Rome) (1902)

3 votes, 1.0%

Rabindranath Tagore (1913)

3 votes, 1.0%

Romain Rolland (1915)

3 votes, 1.0%

W.B. Yeats (1923)

3 votes, 1.0%

George Bernard Shaw (1925)

3 votes, 1.0%

Sigrid Undset (1928)

3 votes, 1.0%

Thomas Mann (Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family) (1929)

3 votes, 1.0%

Hermann Hesse (1946)

3 votes, 1.0%

T.S. Eliot (1948)

3 votes, 1.0%

Bertrand Russell (1950)

3 votes, 1.0%

Patrick White (1973)

3 votes, 1.0%

Saul Bellow (1976)

3 votes, 1.0%

Odysseas Elytis (1979)

3 votes, 1.0%

Naguib Mahfouz (1988)

3 votes, 1.0%

Svetlana Alexievich (2015)

3 votes, 1.0%

Peter Handke (2019)

3 votes, 1.0%

Henryk Sienkiewicz (1905)

2 votes, 0.7%

Giosu猫 Carducci (1906)

2 votes, 0.7%

Selma Lagerl枚f (1909)

2 votes, 0.7%

Henrik Pontoppidan (1917)

2 votes, 0.7%

Anatole France (1921)

2 votes, 0.7%

Jacinto Benavente (1922)

2 votes, 0.7%

Sinclair Lewis (1930)

2 votes, 0.7%

Luigi Pirandello (1934)

2 votes, 0.7%

Winston Churchill (1953)

2 votes, 0.7%

Halld贸r Laxness (1955)

2 votes, 0.7%

Juan Ram贸n Jim茅nez (1956)

2 votes, 0.7%

Boris Pasternak (1958)

2 votes, 0.7%

Yasunari Kawabata (1968)

2 votes, 0.7%

Jaroslav Seifert (1984)

2 votes, 0.7%

Derek Walcott (1992)

2 votes, 0.7%

Wis艂awa Szymborska (1996)

2 votes, 0.7%

G眉nter Grass (1999)

2 votes, 0.7%

Herta M眉ller (2009)

2 votes, 0.7%

Bj酶rnstjerne Bj酶rnson (1903)

1 vote, 0.3%

Jos茅 Echegaray (1904)

1 vote, 0.3%

Paul Heyse (1910)

1 vote, 0.3%

Maurice Maeterlinck (1911)

1 vote, 0.3%

Karl Gjellerup (1917)

1 vote, 0.3%

Knut Hamsun (Growth of the Soil) (1920)

1 vote, 0.3%

W艂adys艂aw Stanis艂aw Reymont (The Peasants) (1924)

1 vote, 0.3%

Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1931)

1 vote, 0.3%

John Galsworthy (The Forsyte Saga) (1932)

1 vote, 0.3%

Roger Martin du Gard (The Thibaults) (1937)

1 vote, 0.3%

Frans Emil Sillanp盲盲 (1939)

1 vote, 0.3%

Johannes V. Jensen (1944)

1 vote, 0.3%

Gabriela Mistral (1945)

1 vote, 0.3%

William Faulkner (1949)

1 vote, 0.3%

P盲r Lagerkvist (1951)

1 vote, 0.3%

Fran莽ois Mauriac (1952)

1 vote, 0.3%

Salvatore Quasimodo (1959)

1 vote, 0.3%

Ivo Andri膰 (1961)

1 vote, 0.3%

George Seferis (1963)

1 vote, 0.3%

Miguel 脕ngel Asturias (1967)

1 vote, 0.3%

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1970)

1 vote, 0.3%

Pablo Neruda (1971)

1 vote, 0.3%

Eugenio Montale (1975)

1 vote, 0.3%

Czes艂aw Mi艂osz (1980)

1 vote, 0.3%

Elias Canetti (1981)

1 vote, 0.3%

William Golding (1983)

1 vote, 0.3%

Joseph Brodsky (1987)

1 vote, 0.3%

Imre Kert茅sz (2002)

1 vote, 0.3%

J.M. Coetzee (2003)

1 vote, 0.3%

Doris Lessing (2007)

1 vote, 0.3%

Mario Vargas Llosa (2010)

1 vote, 0.3%

Alice Munro (2013)

1 vote, 0.3%

Patrick Modiano (2014)

1 vote, 0.3%

Fr茅d茅ric Mistral (1904)

0 votes, 0.0%

Rudolf Christoph Eucken (1908)

0 votes, 0.0%

Gerhart Hauptmann (1912)

0 votes, 0.0%

Verner von Heidenstam (1916)

0 votes, 0.0%

Carl Spitteler (Olympian Spring) (1919)

0 votes, 0.0%

Grazia Deledda (1926)

0 votes, 0.0%

Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin (1933)

0 votes, 0.0%

Eugene O'Neill (1936)

0 votes, 0.0%

Pearl S. Buck (1938)

0 votes, 0.0%

Andr茅 Gide (1947)

0 votes, 0.0%

Saint-John Perse (1960)

0 votes, 0.0%

Mikhail Sholokhov (And Quiet Flows the Don) (1965)

0 votes, 0.0%

S.Y. Agnon (1966)

0 votes, 0.0%

Nelly Sachs (1966)

0 votes, 0.0%

Heinrich B枚ll (1972)

0 votes, 0.0%

Eyvind Johnson (1974)

0 votes, 0.0%

Harry Martinson (1974)

0 votes, 0.0%

Vicente Aleixandre (1977)

0 votes, 0.0%

Isaac Bashevis Singer (1978)

0 votes, 0.0%

Claude Simon (1985)

0 votes, 0.0%

Wole Soyinka (1986)

0 votes, 0.0%

Camilo Jos茅 Cela (1989)

0 votes, 0.0%

Octavio Paz (1990)

0 votes, 0.0%

Nadine Gordimer (1991)

0 votes, 0.0%

Kenzabur艒艑e (1994)

0 votes, 0.0%

Dario Fo (1997)

0 votes, 0.0%

V.S. Naipaul (2001)

0 votes, 0.0%

Harold Pinter (2005)

0 votes, 0.0%

J.M.G. Le Cl茅zio (2008)

0 votes, 0.0%

Tomas Transtr枚mer (2011)

0 votes, 0.0%

Mo Yan (2012)

0 votes, 0.0%

295 total votes

1 comment

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Next Best Boo...: poetry	26	524	Mar 17, 2009 08:34PM
The Next Best Boo...: Original language	8	70	Mar 25, 2009 12:31AM
College Students! : Summer Challenge--Official Record of Points	42	798	Aug 31, 2009 08:41PM
The Seasonal Read...: Hispanic Heritage Month	27	224	Oct 05, 2009 11:10PM
The Seasonal Read...: 25.4 - Nicole OH's Task - Happy Birthday to Me!	104	271	Jul 31, 2010 10:10AM

More…

欧宝娱乐

Pablo Neruda鈥檚 Followers (9,410)

Pablo Neruda

Combine Editions
Pablo Neruda鈥檚 books

Related News

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

欧宝娱乐

Pablo Neruda鈥檚 Followers (9,410)

Pablo Neruda

Combine EditionsPablo Neruda鈥檚 books

Related News

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Pablo Neruda鈥檚 books