The Poetry of Pablo Neruda

    pabloneruda(1904-1973)pablonerudawasborninparall,chile.hestudiedinsantiagointhetwenties.from1927to1945hewasthechileanconsulinrangoon,injava,andtheninbarcelona.hejoinedthecommunistpartyafterthesecondworldwar.between1970and1973heservedinallende’schileangovernmentasambassadortoparis.hediedshortlyafterthecoupthatendedtheallendegovernment.nerudascareerasapoetbeganwithlovepoetryandendedwithlovepoetry.oneofhisverylastworks,writtenonlydaysbeforehisdeath,istheend,alovepoemto[hiswife]matilde.therewere,ofcourse,changes;thereweredeviationsduringtheperiodofresidenceonearth,forexample;therewereturnsandinnovationsduringtheperiodofpoliticalandepicpoetrythatbeganinthelatethirtiesandculminatedin1950withcantogeneral,buttherewasalsoaremarkablecontinuity.eroticpoetryandlovepoetrywerefornerudaanimportant,essentialpartofhispoeticlife.pablonerudawasoneofthemostprolificpoetsofourcentury.totracethedevelopmentofevenoneaspectofhispoeticworldisfarfromeasy.yetinthecaseofhiseroticpoetryandhislovepoetrytheoutlineofthatdevelopmentisclearenough.theearlyneruda,fromhisfirstpublishedbook,crepusculario,andthenespeciallyintwentypoems,isasensualistandamaterialistinhisapproachtoloveandwoman….[intwentypoems]nerudaintensifiesthecompletefusionbetweenwomanandnature.joyanddespair,likemarisolandmarisombra,mingleandalternateinthisbook,butwhatevertheemotionofthemoment,thepoetisconstantinhisidentificationofwomanwithnature,inhisuseofnatureimagerytodescribewoman,andinhisconceptionofwomanasavehicleforareturntonature.intheserichlysensualpoems,thestyleisstillonthewholemodernromanticwithsymbolistovertonesandthefirstfewhintsofthenewer,moredisturbingpoeticstyles.yettheyremainconstructivepoems,inthattheyareorganizedaroundexperiencesinwhichrealhumanbeings,nerudahimselfandthewomenheloved,provideastabilizingplatformuponwhicheachpoemisbuilt.