Pablo Neruda Books

este libro va a cantar a su corazon con fuerte

Compré este libro a mi pareja, está encantada. Juntos fuimos al campo y hemos visto el paraiso leyendo este libro. Fuertemente recomendable y esencial en toda biblioteca.

¿Qué puedo decir? Es Pablo Neruda, Naftalí Reyes do Basoalto. Uno de los grandes poetas de este siglo y una factor importante a la hora de determinar a Chile.

Premio Novel de Literatura en 1971, por Alturas de Macchu Picchu.

Veinte Poemas de Amor es el libro donde Pablo Neruda alcanzó, al fin, una madurez como escritor. Un libro indispensable para todos los seguidores de la poesía.

decir que el libro es bello, que es increrible . se me quedan cortas las palabras al ver a alguien que las emplea tambien. ebrio de poesias y besos tu amor se me diluye en estos poemas. la sangre fluye y tu cuerpo de mujer se deja ver a traves de mis palabras. que libro tan hermoso para un enamorado.

The English translation is good, but it just doesn't work aswell; it is poetry, after all. If you can read English, you'reprobably a lot better at reading Spanish than you think. So, buy theSpanish version and you'll be happy.

Pablo Neruda writes in a style that is so accessible and yet so elegant..
Extravagaria is the first of his books of poems that I have read (having only read some selected poems of his before) - to read the poems as they were meant to be read in this collection is a delight.. I only wish I could read them in Spanish - I guess I will have to hit the books...

A wonderful collection of Naruda's work. There is a sense of settling down in these collection of his work that is really quite beautiful. I also find Alastair Reid's translation more beautiful than others I've seen. The original spanish text on the opposite page is also nice and handy to have.

One of the most interesting books I have ever read. It taught me that there's poetry in every movement we make and every moment we live.

Pablo touched me as no poet that I have read in the last 25 years. His lines particularly sees the world with wisened eyes, writen in his later days. He embraces his past occationally crushing it with bittersweet energy. At the same time he looks forward to rest and what's next. He never stopped Becoming, as Sarte would say, through the years. "Her" declares the need and joy of loving and working life together with his spouse. "Larnyx" chills with news from the doctor that all of humanity dreads.

The spanish on the facing page lets one glimpse at hidden meanings, reaching back for our Spanish 101 or Elementary Latin, a treat. If you buy one poetry book this year, this should be the one. If you are silver haired, as I, then this is the poetry of the decade for you.

I am a true lover of the work of Pablo Neruda and have perused many
translated works of the famous Chilean poet.
Stephen Mitchell's translations are by far the most eloquent I have found. I feel they best convey the many moods of Pablo Neruda. The writer is able to capture the most intense feelings in the poet's writing better than any I have read. Thank you Stephen Mitchell.

This is a lovely translation, but then I think of them all as good. There is no comparison for me to any other poet. Keep this or any of his books near your bed to understand the earth, sea, mountains, love, stones, earth, grace, redemption, cats, neighbors, friends, etc. The depth and breadth is expansive and this is a "sweet" book.

Having been interested in Neruda since seeing the movie "Il Postino," I've glanced at several collections for over 3 years, but never took a book home for my own. Looking for a collection that contained "Ode to Laziness" (one of my favorite subjects), I found and purchased Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon. I sat down in a big chair on a Sunday afternoon and opened it to the first page and the love affair started there. Usually, I read a book of poems randomly, just flipping here and there, looking for whatever surprizes me. For some unknown reason, I started this book from the beginning with Mitchell's introduction, then read the first poem. I couldn't help myself as I read one poem and then another till I had carefully read almost every one. Pure spirit, pure soul. Each poem is a love poem to the most simple, everyday, ordinary things of this world--his suit, his socks, his watch--engaging us to see a sheer web of grace that runs through out our lives. Put another way, Neruda sees and shows us a world that shimmers and loves us as fully as we love it.

Many thanks to S. Mitchell for creating this collection.

Stephen Mitchell translates an assortment of Neruda's lesser known poems that rank among his personal favorites. You can tell Mitchell truly loves these works as Neruda's voice almost literally sings off the page in English. The book itself is beautifully constructed with a painting by Gaugin adorning the cover. When you hold it in your hands, you will know you have discovered something truly special. You may also be interested in Mitchell's lovely translations of Rilke.

Alex Giardino F-ing RULES! She is the SHlT! Best english teacher ever! READ THIS BOOK! she did a wonderful job of translating it!

Several years ago a friend brought me back Matilde's book from Chile, her original version in Spanish. I was eager to read it, as Matilde and Pablo were one of literature's greatest couples, and I had only, and the only biography I had read of Neruda at that time were his own Memoirs.

Unfortunately, though,it seemed she learned nothing about writing from her husband. The prose was dry and the tale took terrible turns in chronology, tone, and even voice--switching from first to third. Though she does offer some very special intimate glimpses into the poet and their fabled relationship, the writing distracted from any good biographical information that she provided.

But I recently came across a review on the web of this new translation, talking about how Ms. Giardino had transformed the original faults and created a new version which engages, without changing what Matilde wanted to say. I am normally a stickler for translations being faithful to the original, while knowing that they do have to balance the artistic translation as well. Ben Bellet's translations of Neruda for instance take way too much literary license as he creates new poems, not translations, new poems which are not just anywhere close to being faithful to Neruda's original words, but are just awful poems themselves.

But what Ms. Giardino has done is, literaly, exceptional. Matilde needed her work to be edited, and Giardino has done a masterful job of that, besides creating a translation into beautiful English prose. And--importantly--the book does not hide the fact that it has made these changes--it is honest in what it tried to achieve, and she is very successful. The result is a delightful read and a special view into a special relationship of one of the most special poets of all times. This of course is not a complete biography of Neruda, but rather it is a lovely tale of a muse and her poet-lover.

I think a new version of the Spanish should be published with Giardino's edits (again, noted clearly that it has been edited.) For Matilde's own original is simply inaccessible, the writing is a turn-off from the great history she wants to tell.

One of the most fascinating parts of the book deals with Matilde's account of Augusto Pinnochet's September 11, 1973 military coup which killed Pablo's amigo President Allende and led to the assassination and torture of many of his friends. He died two weeks later, as Matilde says, "of a broken heart" (as well as cancer.) Matilde's accounts of how the military destroyed their home and how his friends braved the dictatorship to march with the coffin of their poet through the streets of Santiago to the cemetery is truly moving.

Highly recommended.

Matilde Urrutia, Neruda's third wife, was the subject of some of the greatest love poetry ever written. In this beautiful account of their life together, one gains gorgeous insight not only to their love, but to the character of the great poet Neruda, a view unavailable in other biographies. You also learn the tragic history of Chile and Neruda's involvment in it.

Having read the original in Spanish, I can say that Alexandra Giardino's adaptation is a masterpiece in literary translation. The book reads so much better, actually, with her work.

Highly recommended.

This translation of Matilde Urruita's memoir adds so much to the the canon of English language material about Pablo Neruda. Opening with the assassination of President Allende and Neruda's death, Urrutia in a series of flashbacks reveals her life with Neruda and his poetry. Indeed, there is a sense that the poetry had a life of its own; it certainly becomes a third "character" in this memoir.

There are moments when Uruttia threatens to overwhelm with overwrought sentimentality, but Uruttia (with no small assist from the translator, I'm certain) stops short. But all in all, it is a delightful book that chronicles a magic love affair.

...que cuando antes de amarte me olvidé de tus besos mi corazón quedó recordando tu boca".
Uno de los sonetos de amor mas lindos y mas profundos que se han escrito! Neruda sabe como tratar su tema sin dejarse llevar por la melodia de sus palabras, escribe del amor como la siente y como la piense sin decir mas ni menos. Sus palabras se sienten, los disfrutas, son una bella cancion que suena real pero no estas seguro si es tu realidad, la que siempre sabias de ser asi o un suenio...

Neruda sigue siendo uno de los grandes. Y este libro, uno de los clásicos indiscutibles.

The "Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada" is the best-selling book of poetry ever in the Spanish language and established Neruda as one of the great talents of the 20th century. Each of the 21 poems is touching, full of illusion and warmth, with an amazing use of imagery. The last two express loss and heartbreak in a breathtaking way. Poem #20 is perhaps the most famous: "Tonight I can write the saddest verse."

The "100 Sonetos," written many years later, contain some gems, though I much prefer the first book. Don't make the mistake of thinking that these were all written for the same woman -- they weren't! Neruda seduced many of his muses with his poetry.

Los "Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada" es el libro de poesía más popular en la historia del idioma español, y estableció a Neruda como uno de los talentos más grandes del siglo XX. Cada uno de los poemas es conmovedor, lleno de ilusión y calidez, con un uso asombrante de imágenes. Los dos últimos expresan el dolor de la pérdida en una forma espectacular. El poema #20 es probablemente el más famoso: "Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche."

El libro de los "Cien sonetos," escritos años después, contiene algunos poemas excelentes, pero carece de la misma vitalidad que el primero. No vayas a pensar que Neruda compuso todos estos poemas para la misma mujer! Sedujo a muchas de sus musas con su poesía.

This is one of the first books of poetry that Neruda published back before the middle of the 20th century. It is an excellent and very recognized book - of poetry. I think the most important thing of Neruda is that he celebrated the goodness of poetry and good art. In that it is a way of enjoying life, and not gettting caught in the vanity or less popular ways of living or acting towards others (selfishness, greed etc).

This book is that. It is full of beauty. His poetry is one of the most recognized unversally, selling many copies (over amillion in spanish, and that was by 1956.

The most gratifying thing of this book and Neruda in general is the happiness, sadness - different emotions - that it depicts. And most importantly a work of quality.

Autobiografía de Pablo Neruda donde el poeta nos cuenta lo cotidiano de su existencia. Es deslumbrante como el poeta convierte en mágico a través de sus metáforas poéticas los sucesos más cotidianos, la lluvia, el pasar del tren, los campesinos, el ruido del mar, etc. Esta claro que el poeta supo entender y disfrutar de cada momento de la vida más que cualquier un mortal normal. El lector puede introducirse y casi revivir los sentimientos de Neruda durante los momentos más importantes de su vida, su primer libro, sus amores, sus amigos, etc. En otra parte del libro nos hace conocer sus ideas comunistas extremas como por ejemplo que considera la Unión Soviética "el país de los sueños intentados y conseguidos", y su admiración por los líderes políticos comunistas.

Neruda's life highlighting the events that shaped his poetry and deep love for humanity. From his early childhood in his beloved and magical Chile through his experiences with love and politics, this beautiful and humorous book explores the poet's life in the most beautiful Spanish prose written in contemporary literature.

Pablo Neruda's "Memoirs" is not a comprehensive autobiographical document. It is a personal memoir, recounted as if the author was sitting around a table, with good friends and a bottle of excellent Chilean wine, telling tales of the people, anecdotes and incidents that were so important in his life. "Confieso Que He Vivido," means I confess that I have lived. And Sr. Neruda certainly did that...with zest, zeal and so much talent. I have read both this Spanish edition and the English edition, translated by Hardie St. Martin, which is a good one, but it does not do justice to Neruda's beautiful skill with the Spanish language. He romances the language, like no other, even with his prose. I am only sorry I do not feel secure enough in my knowledge of Spanish grammar to write this review in the beloved language of Neruda.

Neruda was born, the son of a railroad worker, in the then frontier wilderness of Southern Chile in 1904. He led a bohemian lifestyle, dressing in black "like the true poets of the last century," during his university years in Santiago. His shyness, the "kink in the soul,"...especially of women, took him a while to overcome. He describes the people and places of that period with great 'carino' (love). His political ideology began to form at that time also, and politics became an integral part of his writing. The Student Federation, student demonstrations and the subsequent repression, had a great impact on the young intellectual.

Neruda led a rich and fascinating life. World traveled throughout his life, he served as Chilean consul in Burma, Ceylon, and Java. He was the consul in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, and during this time "Nine Love Poems" from "Veinte Poemas de Amor y Una Cancion Desesperada" was published. It was at this time also, that his friend Federico Garcia Lorca was killed. Neruda was present in Paris to organize a worldwide anti-Facist congress of writers that would be held in Madrid. His writing about Spain during the war is heartbreaking. Returning to Chile in 1938, he found a burgeoning Fascist movement in his own beloved land.

I particularly enjoyed his account of the time he spent in Mexico, as consul. He tells of his encounters with the great Mexican painters there.

After returning home, Neruda ran for political office and was elected to Chile's Senate in 1945. He was later removed from his Senate seat after joining the Communist Party.

His friends included: Garcia Lorca, Ehrenburg, Picasso, Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, Octavio Paz, Miguel Angel Asturias, Gandhi, Nehru, Mao, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and most sadly, Salvador Allende.

Pablo Neruda's death, just weeks after the brutal murder of Chile's President Allende, is something I will never forget. I was living in Colombia at that time, and remember where I was and what I was doing when I learned of Allende's death, and later heard of Neruda's passing. It called to mind, then and now, my recollections, as a young girl, when President Kennedy's assassination was announced. I always thought Neruda died of a broken heart.

This is an exceptionally good memoir, told with great charm, in a series of vignettes. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone who has read and enjoyed Pablo Neruda's poetry - to my mind some of the most beautiful in the world. It also gives us a glimpse of the politics of the left from the point of view of a Latin American - not the usual perspective, and well worth while.
JANA

So happy to own this little set of books. Really enjoy them.

The Neruda poems are wonderful. I mean his work is usually stellar but these odes are among the most accessible. I was given this book a number of years ago on my birthday and consider it one of my most treasured books of poetry. The binding is exceptional. I appreciate having the poems in both Spanish and their (very good) English translation. But the standout for this book are the marvelous line drawings. There is a creative spark at work in this book and you are left knowing that it was a labor of love on the part of all involved. If you are looking for a book for the Neruda or poetry fan in your life (or yourself) you can't go wrong with this book. When I have pulled it out for readings people want to hold it and look at it. Its that beautiful.

neruda's odes to opposites capture beauty and deep meaning. he inspires us to compare thoughts, feelings and the real world against their foils. he's more than an imagination floating in space.

Neruda delivers an uninhibited glimse at human emotions and panges of life in this collection of poems. Neruda jars the soul by explaining in simple verse, how tragic life can be. The reflections and odes collected in this work are a superb display of the skill Neruda has. Residence on Earth is a compilation of poetry from a mature poet who willfully takes risks, and carries through with beautiful prose. Nerudas candid emotional stylizations convince one of the feeling of being consumed by the poetry itself. Neruda is boundless in structure. The easy style allow for the reader to atempt to understand the abundant imagery and symbolism contained traditionally within Nerudas works. One must read this compilation, as one would consume a fine port wine, or richly decadent chocolate-with trepidation. Time to reflect and savor the splendor of this poet is most definately required.

Best surrealist poetry ever written in Spanish. Period.

Moreover...the third part where Neruda turns to his more political poetry is a good preview of what he will expand later in "canto General".

what else can be said about Neruda. He is a genius.

So many poets explore the conditions of the world, attempting to form them together into a theme or idea. Neruda takes the opposite tack, the course of the true dreamer; he takes themes and ideas and tries to form them together into a real world.

The paradox of Neruda is the earthy quality of so many of his poems combined with the idealistic imagery. Neruda was a common man living the life of a folk hero in his own mind, who by placing that life into poetry became a folk hero of substance. He captured the hearts and minds of an entire generation of Chileans, spanish-speaking peoples, and eventually the world. And for good reason. Neruda believes in the power of words. He is a master of image placed into language, a visionary linguist in every sense.

Unlike so many English and American poets, you don't need to be an expert on Greek mythology or on other poets to understand where Neruda is coming from. This is a poetry of the people, accessible to the many, and yet effective enough that it should melt even the most stodgy teacher of English lit.

The third section, written many years after the first two, explores many political themes, as opposed to the more personal images evoked in the first two sections. It's too bad, as I personally enjoy the first two a little more. But even so, it pointed towards new directions that Neruda would explore in his later, more mature works. Yet maturity or no, this is the Neruda that I found most eminently readable, most capable of evoking a sense of obscure appreciation that I can't quite put my finger on. Neruda's poetry is not always as specific as so many authors, and so allows the reader to weave the perfect amount of personal perspective into the story or vision being woven; the words and ideas here can be interacted with on an individual level, rather than simply accepted as good or bad. It's hard not to get carried away with yourself at times: to float above the linguistic quality of the words and forget that Neruda might, at times, be writing about something in particular.

Genuine yet beautiful and ethereal, Neruda stands on his own as one of the most innovative and evocative poets of the twentieth or any other century. And here is one of his greatest works.

Neruda's early poem, RAPA NUI, (part of CANTO GENERAL) was topographically inaccurate (he had the Moai facing outwards rather than overlooking the settlements) and his Whitmanic expansiveness was pumped-up some. However, late in life, he visited the island and in LA ROSA SEPARADA, he grounds his feelings in the specificity of the place itself, and an authenticity emerges so that the empathic passion is earned. Having visited Rapa Nui myself and published a chapbook, THE MANA OF THE MOAI (Spanner, UK, 2004), Neruda's poem sequence/collage brought back powerful memories of that extraordinary island and its people. Unlike Robert Frost's nasty jingle (first published in TLS in 1947) about a place he had no true knowledge of, and unlike Paul Theroux's even nastier and compassionless chapter about his touristic experience there in his condescending and even racist book HAPPY ISLES OF OCEANIA, Neruda is moved by the strangeness of the place. "Let the great sea protect you" he writes,"from our barren brutality" and, upon leaving, he felt he was abandoning "the limpid clarity of mythology" and returning to his "indecisions, of winter and summer" yet desiring that his "roots adhere" to the mystery, space, and solitude of Te Pitou ou Te Henua, "the navel of the world" - Rapa Nui, "Big Oar" in the Polynesian language, truly a rose apart. Great poetry.

Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) remains one of the most respected and unique of the Latin American poets. His poetry is celebrated even more today than when he was publishing it and winning the Nobel Prize. The gentle man from Chile, beset with scandal regarding his political stance during his life, remains one of the world's favorite voices.

In 1971, two years before his death from cancer, Neruda traveled to Easter Island, that mysterious jetty of earth rising from the ocean keeping its secrets of past civilizations sealed away from contemporary knowledge of the origin of the massive stone figurative sculptures, and there he wrote this long poem as a conversation between Man and Nature. The result is a profound respect for time and the ancients and a disdain for the corrupting man who tries to uncover secrets best remaining occult.

'The transient, the smug traveler, returns/ to his wheels ready to roll, to his jet planes,/ and the deep silence ends, he must leave/ behind the transparent solitude/ of thin air, of water, of pastureland rugged and pure,/ to escape, to escape, to flee the salt and peril,/ that lonely circle in the water/ where the hollow eyes of the sea,/ the vertebrae, the eyelids of the black statues/ chewed at the frightened bourgeois from the cities'...

But a small excerpt from this meaningful poem can only hint at the beauty of Neruda's accomplishment. This is a book that should be in the minds of millions, if we are somehow to survive the ravages of destructing time. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, November 06

"The Separate Rose" is Pablo Neruda's poetic tribute to Rapanui (also known as Easter Island), one of the most remote islands of the Pacific. Although many of the poems in this volume could stand on their own, this book is a truly unified work which should be read in its entirety.

William O'Daly has translated Neruda's Spanish into a simple but sensuous English free verse. In this bilingual edition, Neruda's poems stand side-by-side with O'Daly's excellent tranlations, making the book especially useful to English-speaking students of Spanish (or Spanish-speaking students of English). O'Daly's excellent introduction discusses the history and culture of Rapanui, and also discusses the background of Neruda's poetic interpretation of the island.

Neruda's poetry in "The Separate Rose" skillfully captures the complexity of the world of Rapanui. The poet's generous vision takes in both the motley tourists and the monumental stone sculptures that have made the island famous. In some of the book's most powerful poems, Neruda reflects on Lord Wind, the ancient deity said to have reigned over Rapanui.

And as always, Neruda demonstrates his command of poetic language. Whether describing airplanes as "enormous aluminum geese" (p. 15), reflecting on his own heritage as "apprentice to volcanoes" (p. 19), or addressing Rapanui as "cry / of the mourning petrel, tooth of the sea" (p. 51), Neruda always uses the tools of language in thought-provoking ways.

"The Separate Rose" is more than just an important part of a great poet's canon of writings; it is a moving reflection on a unique and timeless land.

Neftalí Reyes, ese era el nombre original del gran poeta Pablo Neruda. Indudablemente Neruda es uno de los más grandes poetas en cualquier lengua, este su libro de 20 poemas de amor y una canción desesperada, fue escrito en su juventud y es uno de sus libros que más a cautivado al público en todo el mundo, son poemas sencillamente divinos, sumamente románticos, sobretodo el No. 15 "Me gustas cuando callas porque estas como ausente" y el famoso No. 20 "Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche". Yo encuentro que en la producción posterior de la obra de Neruda encontramos poemarios mejor logrados dentro el género romántico, por ejemplo me gusta más, "Los versos del Capitán", y dentro de su obra con un fondo más social "Canto General". Este es un libro indispensable para los amantes de la buena poesía.

Fuertemente recomendado.

Este libro de neruda contiene unos hermosos poemas en los cuales neruda se concentra mayormente en el amor, locura y pasion. La cancion desesperada es tambien hermosa.