It was whilst a consulate in Madrid at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War that Neruda underwent his political awakening. The murder of his friend and fellow poet Federico Garcia Lorca at the hands of Franco’s fascists had a particularly profound impact, and Neruda henceforth became a lifelong communist. As his deepening political commitment emerged, Neruda’s oeuvre moved away from its earlier surrealism towards the new form of ‘socialist realism’ with its emphasis of class struggles and injustice – culminating in his masterpiece, Canto General. Much of it written whilst in exile during one of Chile’s many power struggles, this epic collection of 231 poems is a Whitmanesque homage to the whole South American continent: its nature, heroes, indigenous leaders, history and destiny. And, like Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, Canto General found its most appreciative audience beyond the intelligentsia, establishing Neruda as the People’s Poet of Latin America.
By September 1973, Neruda had been ill for some time with terminal cancer when General Augusto Pinochet’s bloody coup overthrew the poet’s friend and political comrade, President Salvador Allende. Within days, and as Neruda lay bedridden, Pinochet’s soldiers came and ransacked his home. “The only weapons you will find here,” Neruda told them, “are words.” In the wake of the trauma, and said to be heartbroken after hearing of Allende’s death under suspicious circumstances, Neruda’s condition worsened and he was transferred to hospital. And so it happened that – with what can only be described as impeccable poetic timing – Pablo Neruda died less than two weeks after Pinochet’s coup.
As the news swept across Chile that the legendary poet was dead, Pinochet refused permission to grant Neruda a public funeral. But in the first public display of protest against Pinochet’s regime, thousands of grieving Chileans boldly disobeyed the order and defiantly took to the streets to pay their respects to their beloved hero.
I had the good fortune to hear a local actor do a reading of some of Naruda’s beautiful work about eighteen months ago. Until that point I’d not heard of him. Nor indeed of his struggles. Nice to see it acknowledged, here.
I am a composer. Some 30 years ago I discovered the poetry of Pablo Neruda.
His poetry has influenced my music ever since. Last year I finished a chamber opera based on Pablo’s poetry and on his relationship with Matilde Urrutia. Check out http://pwusk.powweb.com/voiceafire/mp3/NerExcActI.mp3 for some dialogue from the opera. What do you think – as another lover of Neruda’s poetry.
Regards,
Ray Luedeke
http://voiceafire.blogspot.com/
Pablo Neruda Who Was He In The Chilean Government? | HotTrends.mobi… “?As if you were on fire from within. The moon lives in the lining of your skin.”- Pablo Neruda. Goodnight people!.
Absolutely amazing to think in these cyber-cultural times when we are bombarded with spin, pop-ups, advertisements and short films all clamouring for attention whilst one is just trying to read a f**king article, that Great Words can still speak to the hearts of People, and that the Poet him/herself can reside in those hearts also. Easy to lose clarity amongst the digital dross.
Sleaford Mods and the Visionary Mr. Cope, are in my view the Great Poets of these transitionary times. If every resident of this Isle could only hear their Righteous message, then what a nation we would be. I can see I’m gonna have to get a copy of Canto General.
Long live Pablo Neruda and all those Great Men and Women who burn with Cosmic Fire in order to light our way.
That Pinochet was a twat though.