Product Description

This collection of Neruda's most essential poems will prove indispensable. Selected by a team of poets and prominent Neruda scholars in both Chile and the U.S., this is a definitive selection that draws from the entire breadth and width of Neruda's various styles and themes. An impressive group of translators that includes Alistair Reid, Stephen Mitchell, Robert Haas, Jim Harrison, Stephen Kessler and Jack Hirschman, have come together to revisit or completely retranslate the poems; and a handful of previously untranslated works are included as well. This selection sets the standard for a general, high--quality introduction to Neruda's complete oeuvre.

Pablo Neruda was born in Chile in 1904. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.

Customer Reviews (26)

The Essential Neruda
Being a fan of Pablo Neruda's poetry, I wanted to get my hands on The Essential Neruda to take a look at more of his work. After reading Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, I fell in love with the poet.

The Essential Neruda contains 50 of Neruda's poems, not all of them about love.
I enjoyed this collection, a few of my favorites are in here, such as I Can Write the Saddest Lines, Leaning into the Afternoons and I Like For You To Be Still.
I did find the translation to be slightly different from the poems in Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, due to the different translators. I love reading Neruda's work in Spanish, it is painfully beautiful.
There is definitely something lost in translation, the feel of the work is a bit different when read in English. The words flow better in it's original Spanish text. I'm a sucker for sad poetry about love and heartache.

Though Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair remains my favorite collection of Neruda's poetry, I'm glad I read The Essential Neruda. I got to experience more of the poets work.
How can you not love Neruda's way with words?

Body of my woman, I will persist in your grace.
My thirst, my infinite anguish, my indecisive path!
Dark riverbeds where eternal thirst follows,
and fatigue follows, and infinite sorrow.
-excerpt from Body of woman


There is also a poem in this collection called Ode With A Lament, that he wrote while his daughter was gravely ill. This one brought a tear to my eye.

Only with kisses and red poppies can I love you,
with rain-soaked wreaths
contemplating ashen horses and yellow dogs.
Only with waves at my back can I love you...


There's so much beautiful and moving poetry in this collection, highly recommended.

Essential!
Yes, this is the Essential Neruda.It's not complete, but it covers all of his topics and contains some wonderful gems and insight.If you only buy one Neruda volume, make it this one.

Pablo Neruda Book 1
I gave this product as a gift...the person that received it enjoyed it very much..a unique publishing of Neruda's works.

Excellent Translations, Great Aid For Learning A Different Side Of Spanish Outside The Confines Of A Boring Textbook
I highly recommend this edition! It's wonderful to go back and forth, line to line, reading the English translations first, then the original Spanish.Translations are fluid!A fantastic way to introduce yourself to one of the greatest poets of all time!

Splendid poetry!!

This book is an awesome work with splendid poems that have something to say to everyone.

Side-by-side texts with their translations are great in making the reader evaluate the meanings and nuances in both languages.

I love these verses:

"And the air came in with orange-blossom fingers
over all those asleep:
a thousand years of air, months, weeks of air,
of blue wind, of iron cordillera,
that were like soft hurricanes of footsteps
polishing the lonely boundary of the stone."

The imagery is vivid and thrilling, like in these verses:

"Full woman, carnal apple, hot moon,
thick smell of seaweed, crushed mud and light,
what obscure clarity opens between your columns?
What ancient night does man touch with his senses?"

I can recommend this poetry to anyone.

Joyce Akesson, author of Love's Thrilling Dimensions and The Invitation ... Read more

Product Description
Against the backdrop of Isla Negra - the sea and wind, the white sand with its scattering of delicate wild flowers, the hot sun and salty smells of the Pacific - Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda sets these joyfully sensual poems in celebration of his love.The subject of that love:Matilde Urrutia de Neruda, the poet's "beloved wife."As popular in the Hispanic world as the poet's renowned Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, One Hundred Love Sonnets has never before been published in its entirety in English translation.The reason for this astonishing neglect may lie in the historical circumstances that surrounded Neruda's "discovery " by English-speaking readers.In the United States he came to popularity during the turmoil of the sixties, when Americans needed a politically committed poet, and much of Neruda's canon answered that need.But, in his native Chile and throughout Latin America, Neruda has always been cherished as dearly for the earthly sensuality and eroticism of his love poetry as for his statements of political belief.To know this work, then is to understand the poet's art more thoroughly.This bilingual edition of One Hundred Love Sonnets reproduces the text of the 1959 Spanish original en face with Stephen Tapscott's graceful English translation.Amazon.com Review
If you've ever wished for a fresh and imaginative way of saying "I love you" to your beloved, peruse Chilean poet Pablo Neruda's 100 Love Sonnets. This intimate bilingual collection overflows with the master poet's signature sensuality and inventive imagery. Written in the 1950s for his cherished wife Matilde Urrutia, Neruda's earnest adoration leaps off the page in poem after poem: "Your heart is a clay toy shaped like a dove"; "Your kisses are clusters of fruit, fresh with dew." Thanks to translator Stephen Tapscott, Neruda's dreamy images carry over vividly from the Spanish and dance in the mind for days after they're read.

Neruda pays only loose tribute to the sonnet by employing a 14-line structure for each poem. As he says, his sonnets are made of wood, rather than the "silver, or crystal, or cannonfire" of a more refined sonnet. Neruda's humility is apparent as he refers again and again to the natural landscape of Isla Negra (the Pacific island where he and his wife lived) to describe his simple dedication to Matilde: "...I am like a scorched rock / that suddenly sings when you are near, because it drinks / the water you carry from the forest, in your voice."

Journeying from the erotic celebration of the body to the spiritual depths of eternal union, 100 Love Sonnets shows why "two happy lovers make one bread" and "waking, they leave one sun empty in their bed." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (57)

Pablo is a Master of his craft, beautiful and romantic love poems.
Pablo's love poems are beautiful, descriptive and sensual and I highly recommend this book.It is dedicated to his wife Matilde and the dedication paragraph he's written for her at the front of the book is beautiful and poetic even though it's not a poem, he has a wonderful way of putting things, like no one else can.

There is an index of 1st lines at the back of the book and everything is in both English and Spanish.

The book is divided into chapters: Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Night and as always his poems are influenced by nature and love, a beautiful combination!

Other love poetry books I recommend are "The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse)" by Juliette Westbrook-Finch which contains some sensual poems and some humorous in a rhyming style and I also recommend 2 other books of Pablo's (Links below)

The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse)

Twenty Love Poems

Love Poems (New Directions Paperbook)

Beautiful Love poems by an amazing writer
I am a huge fan of Pablo's and have 7 of his books, his love poems are second to none, he writes with such emotion, his way with words is breathtaking and he writes with passion and his poems are sensual, romantic and beautiful. He has even inspired me to make my work more sensual!

With lines like "Your body is smooth as stones in the water;
your kisses are clusters of fruit, fresh with dew" you will be transported into dreamland!

I highly recommend his love poems and this is one of my favourite books of his along with "love poems" and 20 love poems and a song of despair"

It is also handy that his book is in English and Spanish with the English version of the poem on the right hand page and the Spanish on the left hand page (very handy if you're learning Spanish!)

Review by Juliette Westbrook-Finch, author of The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse)

100 Love Sonnets: Cien sonetos de amor (Texas Pan American Series) (Spanish Edition)
This was a Valentine's day gift for a significant other who has taught himself Spanish.I appreciated that the book had both the English and Spanish version of each poem on facing pages.That is a great learning tool.It is also great for people who love to see how someone interpreted the translation part of the equation.

The shipper was nice and responsive.

Can i just say..
that this book ranks #4 on my top10 favorite books list. And yes, i have a favorite book list.

Guess what my number one is.... =]

Pablo Neruda's 100 Love Sonnets
This is a beautifully crafted book. If you want to impress your wife, leave one of these love poems on her pillow. A Sure Hit! ... Read more

Product Description
The Nobel Prize–winning poet’s most popular work

When it appeared in 1924, this work launched into the international spotlight a young and unknown poet whose writings would ignite a generation. W. S. Merwin’s incomparable translation faces the original Spanish text. Now in a black-spine Classics edition, this book stands as an essential collection that continues to inspire lovers and poets around the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (51)

Keep it in your back pocket
This book is great because of the side by side espanol and english. The translations retain all the beauty of the language and the poems themselves are excellent.

Neruda poems
While I wanted to come to know the poetry of Neruda and the recognition he received during his life, I found them syrupy and sophomoric. I did appreciate their being side-by-side, English and Spanish so I was able to practice my Spanish translation.
Maybe it's because I am much older and the more current poetry, more edgy.

English Only? Bummer.
I was hoping this would have both the original Spanish and translated English versions; instead it is English only. This takes away from the beauty of the poems, although the translators did a good job.

Beautiful poetry, very romantic, Pablo is a Master at his craft.
This is a wonderful romantic poetry book, Pablo has a way with words that gives you images in your mind and you'll forget everything else around you as you're absorbed into the dream world he has created in your mind.

It is a dual language book having each poem in English and Spanish; it only contains 21 poems but they are of the highest quality and you will be left wanting to read more of his books!

I highly recommend it and if you enjoyed this you will also like his "100 Love Sonnets" and his "Love Poems"

Another book that's writen in a sensual way but also contains some humorous poems is "The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse)" by Juliette Westbrook-Finch, I also recommend that, very different in that it all rhymes but if you like love poetry you'll love that too.

The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse)

100 Love Sonnets: Cien sonetos de amor (Texas Pan American Series) (English and Spanish Edition)

Love Poems (New Directions Paperbook)

Beautiful and romantic. Pablo at his best.
I am a huge fan of Pablo's I have 7 of his books and find his breathtaking way with words beautiful. I love poetry but am very fussy about what I like as some poetry can be boring but Pablo's is wonderful.

This book is in English and Spanish, set out so that the Spanish version of the poem is on the left hand page and the English translatiomn is on the right. (very handy if you're learning Spanish!)

You will find yourself lingering over his poetry as it creates beautiful images in your mind, it's very romantic and sensual.

With lines like "Leaning into the afternoons I cast my sad nets towards your oceanic eyes" and "The light wraps you in its mortal flame" his descriptions and his way with words are wonderful.

I highly recommend his love poetry and this is one of my favourites of his, he has even inspired me to make my work more sensual!

Review by Juliette Westbrook-Finch, author of The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse) ... Read more

Product Description
Sensual, earthy love poems that formedthe basis for the popular movie IlPostino, now in a beautiful gift bookperfect for weddings, Valentine's Day, anniversaries, or just to say "I love you!"Charged with sensuality and passion, PabloNeruda's love poems are the most celebrated ofthe Nobel Prize winner's oeuvre, captivatingreaders with earthbound images and reveling in a fiery re-imagining of the world. Mostly writtenon the island paradise of Capri (the idyllicsetting of the Oscar-winning movie IlPostino), Love Poems embraces theseascapes surrounding the poet and his loveMatilde Urrutia, their waves and shoressaturated with a new, yearning eroticism.

And when you appear
all the rivers sound
in my body, bells
shake the sky,
and a hymn fills the world.
        © 1973 by Neruda & Walsh
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Very romantic
I love that this book includes the original Spanish as well as the English translation on pages opposite each other. The book itself is very attractive, and a nice small size which is just right to keep in a purse or take on a trip. Could make a nice gift for a Spanish student, or for anyone overly romantic. The poems are quite passionate and evocative.

Pablo Neruda is a master of his craft, beautiful love poems.
This book is full of wonderful love poems, descriptive, full of passion and in one word - beautiful!

Having each poem in English and Spanish in one book is a really good idea and having seen what Newspapers have written about Pablo, I totally agree that he is one of the greatest poets of the 20th Century in any language.

Pablo wrote most of this book on the Island Paradise of Capri and he has obviously been inspired by the surroundings such as in the poems "Wind on the Island" and "Night on the Island" as well as his lover Matilde.

I quote from "Wind on the Island"
"Hide me in your arms
just for this night,
while the rain breaks
against sea and earth
its innumerable mouth"

Anyone who has ever fallen in love will identify with it.

Another book that I love which is also love poetry is "The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse) a variety of poems ranging from sensual to humorous.

The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse)

Pablo's "20 love poems and a song of despair" is another of my favourites.

Twenty Love Poems

Beautiful Love Poems in a pocket sized book.
This is a pocket sized book full of passion and romance written in English and Spanish (very handy if you're learning Spanish!) The poems are set out so that the Spanish poem is on the left hand page and the English translation is on the right hand page.

With beautiful lines such as "with your brow on my brow and your mouth on my mouth, our bodies tied by the love that consumes us" from the poem "Wind on the Island" and "the fire saw our naked kiss grow until it touched hidden stars, and it saw grief be born and die like a broken sword against invincible love" from the poem "Epithalamium" this book is wonderful!

I love poetry and Pablo Neruda is the best poet to read if you want love poems, I have 7 of his books and still want more! He has inspired me to make some of my poetry more sensual!

Review by Juliette Westbrook-Finch, author of The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse)

I loved it
The other reviews aren't really about the poems in the book, which are great, and I like the design of the cover.

It took foreverrrrrrrr
It seriously took 3 weeks to get my books. It said that I would get my book in5-6 days, not 3 freaking weeks! It sucked. Anyways, Pablo Neruda rules! ... Read more

Product Description
The most comprehensive English-language collection of work ever by "the greatest poet of the twentieth century--in any language" (Gabriel García Márquez)

"In his work a continent awakens to consciousness." So wrote the Swedish Academy in awarding the Nobel Prize to Pablo Neruda, the author of more than thirty-five books of poetry and one of Latin America's most revered writers, lionized during his lifetime as "the people's poet."

This selection of Neruda's poetry, the most comprehensive single volume available in English, presents nearly six hundred poems, scores of them in new and sometimes multiple translations, and many accompanied by the Spanish original. In his introduction, Ilan Stavans situates Neruda in his native milieu as well as in a contemporary English-language one, and a group of new translations by leading poets testifies to Neruda's enduring, vibrant legacy among English-speaking writers and readers today.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

English Readers Looking to Delve a Little Deeper...
I had read some of Neruda's works, but I wanted a large collection that surveyed a wide range of his output. There is no complete works of his English. It would take up several volumes if there was. This collection succeeds admirably in providing readers with as comprehensive as a survey as there is in the English language. The result is a rich and beautiful outpouring of one of the greatest poets of all time. The collection spans his entire career and focuses on what are generally considered Neruda's best works.

I love the fact that there are only occasional poems with the Spanish translation available. I love this because I only read in English, however, I do enjoy reading the occasional Spanish poem out loud to hear the rhythm and to improve my language just a little. I don't know why translators don't do this more often. It seems that we usually get either a complete bilingual edition, or a complete monolingual edition. A complete bilingual edition would have added an extra 800 pages or so. It does not make sense for a comprehensive volume for English readers. On another interesting note, some of the poems offer more than one translation, along with the Spanish original to compare them with. Also, the text features different translators. I like this because it will help me to select which translators to read in the future.

Now that I am almost finished with this volume, I can't wait to get all of the complete translations as individual books, assuming that no one does come out with a complete works in English. Neruda is brilliant, breathtaking, political, metaphorical, powerful... I could go on. He really has it all. I highly recommend this volume for anyone who wants a comprehensive book of his English. It is one of my favorite poetry books. I return to it often.

A massive selection of poems, but it has its problems
I was incredibly excited to get a hardcover of this at a thrift store, in nearly brand new condition, for fifty cents. Why someone threw it away I have no idea.
And while it's a large selection and for the most part is very good, it has some issues, first and foremost, inconsistency in translations. Since the book has dozens of translators throughout, it's going to be hit and miss. Fortunately, it's mostly hit, but I was sad to see that "Ode to Enchanted Light," one of my favorite Neruda poems, was butchered in the translation. There are a few other duds throughout, translators who knew nothing of Neruda or his flow.
Some people have complained that it isn't side by side bilingual, but this isn't too much of a problem for me. While it would be nice, it would also cause the book to be over 2,000 pages, and it's already huge.
My final thought is that while it's not perfect, it's a good book. I certainly wouldn't pay $40 for it (the hardback cover price), but buying a paperback or a used hardback would be a good move for lovers of Neruda.

The Neruda we love
Enough is written about this to make this a nice, simple review. Buy it. If you like his machoism and poetry, this is the one book you must own

A must for any Pable Neruda fan
Years ago I saw the movie Il Postino (The Postman)and came to know who Pablo Neruda was. I bought the soundtrack and discovered the poems being read by actors.Finally I discovered this book and am glad I purchased it. It is a joy to discover new poems each time I open the book.

A missed opportunity. Una lastima.
I was very excited for this book, hoping to fill in gaps of my Neruda collection. but after reading it I was frustrated and disappointed, not only in the quality of many of the translations and the lack of the Spanish there next to the English, but I feel the editor left out many important poems while putting in a lot of Neruda's weaker work. It was clunky. I found a review in the New York Book Review on the web by the poet Charles Simic which explains my thoughts perfectly:

"As one would expect from an undertaking aiming to be so comprehensive in scope, The Poetry of Pablo Neruda is an uneven book. There are first-rate translations by John Felstiner, Margaret Sayers Peden, Jack Schmitt, Greg Simon, Alastair Reid and a dozen others alongside many mediocre ones. I'm not competent to judge the accuracy of individual translations, but I can compare their quality as poems since there are previous renderings of the same poems which seem to me far superior to the ones we have here. For instance, neither of the two versions of "Walking Around" in this book are as good as the one I quoted by H.R. Hays, or the one W.S. Merwin did years ago. As their worst, the translations do not convey the stylistic range and verbal integunity of the original, making Neruda sound instead like a Chilean Carl Sandburg.

The choice of poems is also at times debatable. In order to make the book representative of all of Neruda's work, Stavans has left out some well-known poems and included plenty of questionable ones..."

A missed opportunity. Una lastima.
... Read more

Product Description
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Copper Canyon's bestselling title-the bilingual translation of Pablo

Neruda's The Book of Questions. While Neruda craved the clarity rendered by an examined life, he refused to be corralled by the rational mind. These brief poems are composed entirely of 316 unanswerable questions, and integrate the wonder of a child with the experiences of an adult.This new edition has a new, attractive format and an updated introduction by translator William O'Daly. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Brief Lines That Create Nostalgia For Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda is much missed as a poet and thinker.Since his death in 1973 there has been an even stronger growing of appreciation for his unique style of writing.During his last days he composed this strange little collection of some 300-odd questions and a number of poems all dealing with the life cycle as only one who sees his end at hand can write. The subjects are death, rebirth and nature in as complete a marriage of intention as any poet has created.They are beautifully translated by William O'Daly.

Intending his reader to be stimulated by his words to create a visual image that is personal, his questions from this volume so aptly titled 'The Book of Questions' open our eyes and our minds to some rapturously beautiful experiences.Examples:

'Why don't inanimate things
do something?

Where did a celestial body
leave something tonight?

Why don't they train helicopters
to suck honey from the sunlight?

Where did the full moon leave
its sack of flour tonight?'

Warmly humorous, touching and eventually elevating, the questions remain on the backs of our eyes awaiting reentry into our brains for relish at needy times.Neruda is a poet for all seasons.Just read this book and discover.Grady Harp, December 06

There is a zen-like quality to Neruda's poems
_The Book of Questions_ defies easy description.Neruda composed over 70 poems in quatrains, two questions per quatrain - yet the depth of the questions and the variety of interpretations the reader can take from the questions is limitless.That the book contains English translations of the Spanish original is an added bonus.

The images are surreal, as if a Dali painting put to words.Further thought (and the poems ARE thought provoking) yields a different answer with each reading.There is a pervading sense of sadness to them, perhaps because Neruda was dying of cancer while he wrote them; but there is hope, here, too - and a wisdom that only a master poet can communicate.For example:

Where is the child I was,
still inside me or gone?

Why did we spend so much time
growing up only to seperate?

Neruda's _Book of Questions_ haunts and provokes, much like life itself.Highly recommended.

Questions for the Soul
With this book, Pablo Neruda takes the universe and turns it inside out; in doing so, he brings forth questions for which there are no answers, and which, at the same moment, lead us toward the questions and vibrations of our own souls.The questions may appear as nonsense, but in truth, they are of another language, that of the poet, and they are neither meant to be answered nor translated into the realms of the logical and linear.He embraces humor: "What will they think of my hat, the Polish, in a hundred years?" and "Is there anything sillier than to be called Pablo Neruda?"Yet he also delves into mystery of life and living:"Is 4 the same 4 for everybody? Are all sevens equal?"and "In the end, won't death be an endless kitchen?"While perhaps never having read C.S. Lewis' "A Grief Observed," Neruda picks up a thread from two lines of this short memoir of grief:"Is yellow square or round?How many hours are in a mile?"But while Lewis searches for answers in a prosaic realm, Neruda remains the poet of questions.His work also brings to mind a poem by American jani johe webster, "the color of august":"what is the sound of a shadow / how do you say a hope / can you see time in a dream".For a truly amazing experience, read William O'Daly's translation of "The Book of Questions" side by side with Ben Belitt's:it is an amazing study of words, meanings, translation, and most of all, questions.

Questions Without One Definitive Answer
Pablo Neruda's BOOK OF QUESTIONS is one of those books thatsimply cannot be read just once.Though the poems are short, they are questions that make you ponder and think about through out the day.Neruda covers just about everything, such as politics, society, nature, and life in general.

The most enlightening thing about poetry, especially Neruda's style of writing poetry, is that it lends itself to much interpretation.Anyone that reads this book will have their own answer and interpretation of what they think Neruda was trying to convey.For example, Neruda has a knack for covering politics.He writes:

"How did the grapes come to know
the cluster's party line?

And do you know which is harder,
to let run to seed or to do the picking?

It is bad to live without a hell:
aren't we able to reconstruct it?

And to position sad Nixon
with his buttocks over the brazier?

Roasting him on low
with North American napalm?"(p.18)

For the most part, the book has a zen-like quality, which suggests a complexity to the poems -- the sense of not-knowing, and moving towards intuitive perceptions, beyond rehearsed patterns of thinking and feeling (viii).In a way, it appears complex, but at the same time liberating.Neruda's poetry is simple in its structure.

Beyond analysis, BOOK OF QUESTIONS is also helpful for anyone trying to refresh their memory to read and write in spanish.The translations are wonderful and practical.I recommend this book as well as other books by Neruda because of this added bonus.

The World Through Questions
The BOOK OF QUESTIONS was written in 1973, a few months before Neruda's death to cancer. Troubled by the knowledge of his impending death, as well as by a U.S. backed coup threatening the Allende government in Chile (Leftist regime 1970-73), Neruda wrote several small books of brief poems, comprised simply of unanswerable questions, in the koan tradition (question/statement in the form of a paradox that disciples of Zen ponder). They are enigmatic, at times surreal, leaving you lost in labyrinths of deep thought, or in abstract bewilderment.

My favorite questions include:

Why do leaves commit suicide
When they feel yellow?

and

When the convict ponders the light
is it the same light that shines on you?

--ross saciuk ... Read more

Product Description
In his long life as a poet, Pablo Neruda succeeded in becoming what many poets have aspired to but never achieved: a public voice, a voice not just for the people of his country but for his entire continent. Widely translated, he probably reached more readers than any poet in history; justly so, for, as he often said, his "poet's obligation" was to become a voice for all those who had no voice, an aspiration that stemmed from his long-time commitment to the communist faith. Born in 1904 in the rainy south of Chile, he enjoyed from an early age the luck of attention. One of his first books, Twenty Love Poems, became a bible for lovers in the Spanish language, and confirmed him in his poet's vocation. At the same time he pursued a lifelong career as a diplomat, serving in a series of consular posts in the Far East and Europe. In 1971, while serving as Chilean ambassador to France, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. In a famous essay, "On Impure Poetry," Neruda calls for "a poetry as impure as old clothes, as a body with its foodstains and its shame, with wrinkles, observations, dreams, wakefulness, prophesies, declarations of love and hate, stupidities, shocks, idylls, political beliefs, negations, doubts, affirmations, and taxes." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

selected poems
This is the best collection of Pablo Neruda's poetry ever. It's got a little bit of everything of his.

The night is shattered and the blue stars shiver in the distance
This collection, in my opinion, is the best book of Neruda's poems for readers in English. It contains the majority of his best poems, and it has a few translators (but not too many, four altogether) so we can say how different peoples interpretations read differently. That being said, these are some of the best translators of Neruda, and it has a great introduction by Alastair Reid.
In addition to what it contains, the book itself is well made, a very good size and feel to it.
This is one of those books I carry around with me all the time. In my opinion, Neruda is the best poet to ever live, he's addicting to read and truly a voice of the people, and this is the best volume of his work.

Beautiful and sensual

Pablo Neruda and Octavio Paz are among the greatest Latin American Poets of the 20th century.
Neruda's images can be allusive and clear at the same time. He finds beauty in the ordinary and beyond it, in the concrete and in the feelings, in the spirit and in the physical being. His poetry is free and timeless.

I love these lines from Ah Vastness of Pines:

"In you the rivers sing and my soul flees in them
as you desire, and you send it where you will."

Beautiful and sensual!

From Joyce Akesson author of Love's Thrilling Dimensions

Viva Neruda!
This is a wonderful collection of poems by Neruda in a bilingual edition.I'm planning to use it in a course I'm teaching in Fall '08.

Pablo Neruda: Selected Poems
I was a rookie when it comes to reading stylized writings like that of Pablo Neruda.I ordered the book as a friend suggested thinking it would be an impressive addition to my library not realizing that I would really enjoy his deep, thought-provoking and yet whimsical poems.My recommendation is to try it, you'll like it!! ... Read more

Product Description
Premio Nobel de Literatura

“El más grande poeta del siglo xx en cualquier idioma”. —Gabriel García Márquez

Un gran éxito desde el mismo momento de su publicación en 1924 cuando el autor contaba con tan solo diecinueve años, Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada causó un fuerte revuelo en la conservadora sociedad chilena debido a su franco retrato de la relación del autor con dos mujeres. Se convirtió inmediatamente en una de las colecciones de poesía más leídas, estableciendo a Neruda como una de las más singulares voces de la poesía en español del siglo XX. Incluso leído hoy, sigue sorprendiendo por su sincera descripción del amor y el sexo.
 
Tan pasional y hermosa como Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada, Cien sonetos de amor incluye algunos de los más sensuales e intensos poemas de Pablo Neruda. Aunque publicada treinta y cinco años más tarde, retiene la ingenuidad y la intensa pasión del joven Neruda, mezclada con la sagaz mirada de un hombre que lo ha visto todo. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

for those who love
this is the most gorgeous edition I have ever seen of Neruda's Veinte Poemas....I bought it for my lover, and when it came, I couldn't bring myself to give it to him.it was so perfect.i had to buy another for him, so now we have 2!<3

Los mejores poemas de amor del siglo XX
Neruda es un maestro de la expresión en español. Even if Spanish is not your mother language, you can feel all the powerfull emotions artistically crafted in every single word, line and poem. Estos fueron los versos de amor que iluminaron toda mi adolescencia y juventud, and now, in my third age, they still move me. Bravo Neruda! ... Read more

Product Description

On the Blue Shore of Silence celebrates the centenary of the birth of Pablo Neruda, one of the most widely read and best-loved poets of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews (8)

The exquisiteness of Neruda
Anyone who deeply appreciates Pablo Neruda's mastery and talent will love this exquisite collection of poems matched with sublime abstract art images. A perfect gift for collectors of fine poetry as well as those who enjoy unique, bilingual, contemporary editions.

Beautiful
This is a beautiful translation of Neruda with gorgeous artwork.I gave it as a gift to a friend.

very romantic
Neruda, a gifted poet, nobel prize recipiant times two, shares his thoughts and feelings by the sea in this peaceful and sensual collection.What a captivating, romantic collection of poems.Usually I dislike "greatist hit" style books, but this collection of poems easily provides a well rounded, description of Neruda's talents.The artistry illustrated is beautiful and more than adequetly translates the feel of the book.The book is printed in spanish and english translation provided by Alastair Reid, his favorite and preferred translator.I encourage all, whether poetic novice or expert to pick this book up, especially if you are a romantic at heart.

Simply so beautiful
The coast of California, where Mary Heebner lives, is so parallel in its geography, blueness, and diverse forms of the shores from rocks to cliffs to wide sand to Neruda's mar at Isla Negra where he'd look out at that same Pacific ocean to form his poems. Mary is able to capture that intrinsic beauty of his sea and his poetry in this wonderful book of art. And you could ask for no better translator than Alastair Reid. Neruda loved how he'd walk barefoot all around his house and the beach at Isla Negra barefoot. And he loved his translations, as do I. Neruda said that "to me, the ocean is an element like air." This book of his poems about his sea, combined with the sublime blues of Mary Heebner's art, makes for such a great book for your coffee table, or as a gift, as I have given it now to six different people.

--Mark Eisner, editor of The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems

Beautiful Poetry, Beautiful Art!
I love Pablo's poetry. I didn't think it was possible for the art to be as beautiful as the poetry. But it is. ... Read more

Product Description
Poems from the Film Il Postino. The poems collected in this book are at the heart of the film Il Postino, a cinematic fantasy spun from an apocryphal incident in the life of the Chilean poet and Nobel laureate, Pablo Neruda. Together they show why many consider Neruda to be the finest love poet of the century. Few writers of any age have described the pleasures and torments of erotic love with such un-sentimental directness and sensual precision. Here, too, we find Neruda at his most accessible, the language of his odes and lyrics refined to the point at which it achieves, in critic Jean Franco's words, "the naturalness of song". This short selection draws on work from throughout his writing life, from the famous early collection Twenty Love Songs & a Song of Despair (1924) to the key works of his maturity, Residence on Earth (1935), Elemental Odes (1954) and the autobiographical Memorial de Isla Negra (1964). It offers an enticing glimpse of one of modern poetry's greatest masters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

The Saddest Lines
Reading Neruda heightens a sense of passion and awakening to the soul. My favorite, Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines holds a special meaning for me. I still read Neruda and think of what could have been, had I not made a huge mistake. If you have a true love that was lost, or are just passionate about life, by all means read Neruda's poetry. And keep your loved ones close.

so amazing is the book
he is brilliant and the book was a gift it was all good. a ten star book.

Good poems, good film, bad book
Like other reviewers, I like Neruda and enjoyed the film in which these poems are featured. I wish I could say the same for this book. That it contains only ten poems in Spanish together with their English translations is no mark against it. That it was rushed into print in order to cash in on the film's appeal did not prevent me from buying it. But the volume has been carelessly edited, and typographical errors abound. "Angela adónica," for example, contains no fewer than four such errors within the first ten lines; the poem is only sixteen lines long. Similarly, "Fábula de la sirena y los borrachos" contains an absurd misprint in the very first line: "Todos estos señoras" for "Todos estos señores." Fans of "Il Postino" will be glad to find so many of the poems quoted in the film brought together in one book, though they will search in vain for the poem in which "la sonrisa se extiende como una mariposa en tu rostro." But serious readers looking for reliable Spanish texts of these beautiful poems had better look elsewhere.

A Poet to be Treasured
Neruda at his best. These are elegant, beautiful poems to read and re-read. It is a small slim book, but every poem is a jewel. Keep it by your bed and read before you sleep.

Beautiful heartfelt work
Mr Neruda captures the feeling and emotion of love in these written works. They are from the movie IL POSTINO and have incredible impact. ... Read more

Product Description
"Chilean Pablo Neruda is Latin America's greatest poet and one of the finest ever to have written in the Spanish language. The Peruvian poet César Vallejo, part Indian and born in a mining village, ranks not far below Neruda. Robert Bly is one of America's foremost poets, and a translator of uncommon brilliance. The combination makes for a priceless volume."-Long Beach Press Telegram ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

sublime
I found this collection very satisfying on several levels.First the translations are excellent, successfully capturing both concrete and abstract elements of both poets.Second, the careful selection by Mr. Bly of poems wonderfully illustrates the best elements of each poet, the abstract genius of Neruda and the passion of Vallejo.Third; this collection is bilingual and even if one does not speak spanish, reading and listening to the poems in the native language allows one to appreciate the rhyme schemes, tempos, alliteration etc.

Neruda and Vallejo-Selected Poems - Robert Bly, et al editor
I recently finished reading this powerful collection of works, and enjoyed it immensely. Bly does a marvellous job of capturing the mood and power of these poets, and the biographical pieces were interesting and to thepoint.

This collection is also bilingual, which is a great plus even ifyou only listen for the sound of the poetic line.

I would highlyrecommend it for those who have not experienced either of these fine poets.It left me hungry for more of their work. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Kindle version a mess
In agreement with the other Kindle version review, i have to say that the electronic version is very poor.There are frequent misspellings and sloppy formatting (repeated sentences, random indentation) that prompted me to return the copy only one chapter in.

Pablo Neruda (Kindle Edition)
I am enjoying the content, but the Kindle version is a mess. It is filled with typos, repeated text, and sloppy indentations. Overall, pretty sloppy.

An Objective Biography
This is a well written book covering Neruda's life en total withoutpulling any punches regarding his idiosyncracies.Fascinating accounts of his travels, personal life, and political exile.

Poetic Justice
The biography is excellent. All the gore and the glory of a magnificent poet, a magnificent poet. So impressed was I, that while having innumerable books by Neruda, and his posthumously published memoirs, I still went out and obtained Obras Completas through a bookstore in Madrid. I have summered on Isla Negra and had the good fortune of meeting Matilde. The author does an outstanding job of giving us the most objective portrait of Neruda, not hiding the blemishes. Neruda was always a boy with a huge heart and lots of love for most (mostly women). Quite sad that a poetic voice like this is gone. Sad also that in his politics Neruda was myopic. The radical left, the radical right, what's the difference? He could never see that point. The author brings this issue out as well with verisimilitude.

fine biography of a great poet
More than thirty years ago, I gave a copy of Neruda's "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair to the woman who would later become my wife. All these years later, I still read Neruda's poems aloud to her, and I am still nourished in the autumn of my own life by the rich array of poetry that this great writer produced from his adolescence to old age. Adam Feinstein produces a loving, yet unflinching, portrait of Neruda. Here is a man whose generosity and determination saved the lives of hundreds of refugees from war-torn Spain. Yet here, too, is the man who abandoned his first wife and their developmentally delayed daughter, betrayed all of his wives, and shamefully continued to embrace Stalin's legacy long after many of his peers were humbled by the recognition of Stalin's evil. What I most enjoyed about Feinstein's biography, however, is the way in which Neruda's poetry is charted in the context of his adult developmental. Learning about the broad changes in Neruda's path through his life, the failed marriages, the political career, the aging poet, helps place all his works in a context that enriches the reader's experience of the poetry. In the end, however, we are left with a mystery: the biographical details of Neruda's life cannot explain the greatness of his poetry. This childlike, vain, and self-absorbed man was also a stunning genius, whose passion for life will illuminate the lives of others for centuries. ... Read more

Product Description
A hypnotic journey of words and photographs—Neruda's presence haunts and inspires.

Pablo Neruda is one of the most widely read poets in the world. A Nobel Prize winner and a man with legions of friends, he loved and wrote about everything is nature as well as objects of all descriptions. In this book, through Neruda's words, his friends' words, and magnificent photographs, we can to know his magical world, and ultimately the man himself.

Neruda's elegant and lyrical poetry, presented here bilingually with superb translations by Alastair Reid, reveals a man of great warmth and complex thought. A passionate acquirer, he collected ships in bottles, shells, postcards, ships' figureheards, sextants, clocks, stones, books, hats, and more. These objects served as extensions of his imagination, the vocabulary of his poems.

Luis Poirot's evocative photographs of Neruda, his possessions, and his surroundings provide a dramatic, yet intimate narrative alongside his poetry. Neruda's house in Isla Negra, facing the Pacific Ocean (he collected houses, too, and made them into original, often whimsical, objects in themselves) is where most of Poirot's photographs were taken. We are witness to the manner in which Neruda imbued this house, and all it contained, with his own vitality, style, and large imagination.

More than twenty of Neruda's friends, including Julio Cortëzar, Eduardo Galeano, Alastair Reid, Diego Muños, Roberto Matta, and his wife Matilde Urrutia, offer personal insights and humorous memories of this prolific poet. A striking portrait by Poirot accompanies each testimony.

An aura of Neruda prevails throughout this hypnotic journey of words and photographs. Even when the words are not his own, even when the camera is not focused on him, Neruda's presence haunts and inspires. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

pleased
This is a phenomenal book that should be in every household, showcased on each living room coffee table.Thank you for providing such prompt service!

A book to relish
I saw it first in my college library, subsequently I bought it. Neruda's zest for life is enviable. The book makes me want to know more and more about him and his writings. It has been a year now, and I go back time to time, to read something or the other from the book, again and again. The photographs of Neruda's homes set the context for the poetry contained side by side. Translation is comforting for me.

I understand very little about literature but poetry is now my one of the serious love interest thanks to his poem titled 'Poetry': "It was the age when it arrived in search of me.......I was there without a face and it touched me".

Bravo! Why ? This is what I found his book, and a new word "wakefulness" :))

" It is very appropriate, at certain times of the day or night, to look deeply into objects at rest: wheels which have traversed vast dusty spaces, bearing great cargoes of vegetables or minerals, sacks from the coal yards, barrels, baskets, the handles and grips of the carpenter tools. They exude the touch of man and the earth as a lesson to the tormented poet. Worn surfaces, the mark hands have left on things, the aura, sometimes tragic and always wistful, of these objects, lend to reality a fascination not to be taken lightly.

The flawed confusion of human beings shows in them, the proliferation, materials used and discarded, the prints of feet and fingers, the permanent mark of humanity on the inside and outside of all objects.

That is the kind of poetry we should be after, poetry worn away as if by acid by the labor of hands, impregnated with sweat and smoke, smelling of lilies and of urine, splashed by the variety of what we do, legally or illegally.

A poetry as impure as old clothes, as a body, with its food stains and its shame; with wrinkles, observations, dreams, wakefulness, prophecies, declarations of love and hate, stupidities, shocks, idylls, political beliefs, negations, doubts affirmations, taxes."

Amazing photographs and investigation
Luis Poirot is one of my favorites photographers. This book about Pablo Neruda is great, not only for the quality of the beatiful images, but also for the investigation with the people who knew Neruda well.
Absolutamente recomendable!!!!

deepful
I love looking at the pictures and reading his poetry.I also love knowing the little tidbits of information.I have been to his three houses in Chile that are pictured in this book. When I look through it I have thisrush of emotions and a pleasant rememberance of being there.

Viva Pablo!
Neruda is a poetry god. And interest in the Chilean writer's work is growing again thanks to Il Postino (The Postman), the Oscar-nominated film in which he's a character.

This coffee table compendium presents some ofhis most exquisite verse coupled with warm, full-page photographs of, amongothers, his ocean front home, Ilsa Negra, with its nautical knick-knacks.The man's presence pervades the volume and includes personal accounts fromthose who knew him. Translator Alastair Reid has chosen works that suit thepictures and work well as whole. It's a delightful introduction to one ofthe centuries greatest wordsmiths. ... Read more

Product Description

From Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda comes Intimacies—a beautiful companion to On the Blue Shore of Silence—showcasing some of Neruda's most extraordinary love poems, and once again married with Mary Heebner's earthy, evocative paintings.

Customer Reviews (3)

An excellent bilingual edition of Neruda
This beautiful book contains some of the very finest poems of Pablo Neruda with translations by the esteemed Alastair Reid that seem pitch-perfect. The typography and layout of this bilingual edition are particularly well done; it is a pleasure to read the poems in the evocative original Spanish and then discover how Reid has rendered the words in English.

What really distinguishes this book, however, are the images of paintings by Mary Heebner that accompany the text. Each superb image is a kind of counterpoint or harmonic compliment to the sentiments expressed in the poems.

This is a book that is a pleasure to possess and to return to frequently. It would make a wonderful gift to a friend.

Intimacies - Review
This is a book that stands out on the bookshelf. I love to come home and see this beautiful book on my table. It is always available to be read and seen, to enjoy Neruda's poetry and wonder at Mary Heebner's magnificent paintings. Even better, this is a bilingual edition and suits those who know Spanish or want to know.

Great book; damaged in shipping
This book is beautiful, though the cover was damaged in shipping.A replacement was quickly sent without hassle. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (22)

Pablo Neruda at his best
Words cannot encompass the genius of Pablo Neruda's poetry. This massive collection has so much in one volume, I can take it with me anywhere. Really appreciate the original Spanish versions included as one translation left me scratching my head. Having the original to read helped me understand what Neruda meant. The translation was a bit odd! All in all, a great book to have in my collection.

Abysmal translation, Exquisite poetry
A terrible, terrible translation ... butchery of the most base sort.Ironically ... nay, fortunately, (Neruda will transcend Belitt by aeons) Neruda's timelessness roots deeply in his ability to provide effortless infusions of mood and imagery.Buy 500 Spanish Verbs, a Spanish dictionary, a Neruda without translation and a ticket to Valparaiso ... el insolito puerto sin puertas, puerto del ancho mar (PN).Find a seaside cafe and prepare to intertwine with Neruda's delicately winding timeless vines of earthly splendor.

translation is a complete abomination
Neruda is one of the most powerful poets ever but if you are reading the English translation, you'd think he was incapable of powerful words.The English translation is a complete abomination, rarely does the full poem ever make sense.The English translator misuses words, adds his own meaning and just butchers any sense of profoundness found in Neruda.Luckily I know Spanish and can sense the richness of Neruda's immortal work.

Neruda's "Enigmas" is rendered nonsensical by Ben Belitt, it should read more like Robert Bly's Translation.

Enigmas


You've asked me what the lobster is weaving there with
his golden feet?
I reply, the ocean knows this.
You say, what is the ascidia waiting for in its transparent
bell? What is it waiting for?
I tell you it is waiting for time, like you.
You ask me whom the Macrocystis alga hugs in its arms?
Study, study it, at a certain hour, in a certain sea I know.
You question me about the wicked tusk of the narwhal,
and I reply by describing
how the sea unicorn with the harpoon in it dies.
You enquire about the kingfisher's feathers,
which tremble in the pure springs of the southern tides?
Or you've found in the cards a new question touching on
the crystal architecture
of the sea anemone, and you'll deal that to me now?
You want to understand the electric nature of the ocean
spines?
The armored stalactite that breaks as it walks?
The hook of the angler fish, the music stretched out
in the deep places like a thread in the water?

I want to tell you the ocean knows this, that life in its
jewel boxes
is endless as the sand, impossible to count, pure,
and among the blood-colored grapes time has made the
petal
hard and shiny, made the jellyfish full of light
and untied its knot, letting its musical threads fall
from a horn of plenty made of infinite mother-of-pearl.

I am nothing but the empty net which has gone on ahead
of human eyes, dead in those darknesses,
of fingers accustomed to the triangle, longitudes
on the timid globe of an orange.

I walked around as you do, investigating
the endless star,
and in my net, during the night, I woke up naked,
the only thing caught, a fish trapped inside the wind.


Translated by Robert Bly

Get a different anthology
I could not imagine at first how anything by Neruda could rate lower than four stars, so I browsed some of the translated poems in this book and compared them with other translations. Most of the other reviewers are right. The English versions are unbelievably bad, and that's quite a feat because Neruda's verse is generally economical and unpretentious. I suspect that Babelfish could have done more justice to Neruda on some of these poems.

A good alternative to this would be "The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems." It's a well-rated collection produced by a team of strong translators.

Bad Translation!
My Spanish reading skills are very basic, and I know that the best translations are not necessarily the most literal.Still, I was jolted by Belitt's language.

The English translations here seem not at all what Neruda intended!They are awkward and stilted where the originals sing. Clarity becomes confusion.Meanings are lost. "Respeto" becomes "deference.""Fria" becomes "glacial."Where repetitions bring a wonderful rhythm to a Neruda original,Belitt feels compelled to switch it up for some near-synonym. Commas drop in from the sky. Line breaks are changed for no reason (or rhyme). Words intended to fall at the end of a line, for emphasis, are transposed with ones originally in the middle.Extra words, extra meanings are thrown in.Consider this final phrase of Dream Horse:
"desnudo sin herraduras y radiante."

Roughly translated it means "stripped of (or freed of) its horseshoes and radiant."

Belitt turns it into: "naked to the bridle and iron, shimmering, whinnying there."

I am no poet and no translator. Neither is Belitt!

... Read more

Product Description
The Heights of Macchu Picchu is the finest and most famous of Neruda's longer poems and provides the key to his earlier work. It was inspired by his journey to Macchu Picchu, the Peruvian Inca city high in the Andes. Neruda's journey takes on all the symbolic qualities of a personal "venture into the interior" as the poem progresses, exploring both the roots of the poet's identity and the history of Latin America. This translation has been rendered by the distinquished poet Nathaniel Tarn and is presented in a bilingual edition, with the Spanish and English texts on facing pages.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Bilingual edition, but English translations not recommended
I don't really feel it is necessary to add my humble opinion about Neruda, hispoetry, or this particular collection of poems.If you are even considering purchasing this book, then you are on the right track.I would, however, like to add a few comments about this particular edition.

I was somewhat confused because one reviewer stated the book was only in English, although the book claims to be a bilingual edition.I purchased it anyway due to the difficutly in general of finding some Spanish language literature in this country, and even on this site, with the intention to return it if it was only in English.However, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was indeed a bilingual edition.The cover art is quite different on the copy I received - just an observation.

If you are buying this book for the original Spanish version, then I can highly recommend this book.However, I must agree with several other reviewers as to the quality of the English translation.Honestly, and I hate to say it, but it is terrible.I realize that translating great poetry is a formidable task, and that certain license may need to be taken, but I have many other bilingual poetry editions (in several other languages as well) where the English versions are faithful to the original and yet beautiful in their own right, and where I have even felt occasionally that a reading of the English version can actually enhance the overall experience of the poem.This is definitely not the case with this translation.After reading the Spanish, I would find myself peeking over at the English, and thinking to myself, "What on earth was Tarn thinking?"Some of the liberties Tarn has taken...At one point, I seriously felt like taking a Sharpie to the English versions to obliterate them entirely.Realizing that this was probably a little extreme, and would certainly destroy the Spanish poetry on the other side of the paper, I have settled on making copies of the Spanish versions and putting them in a notebook so as to avoid the English versions entirely.I realize this may sound extreme, but only if you have not read the translations.Even if your Spanish is intermediate, you would probably be better off with this book (or a Spanish only version if you can find one) and a good dictionary.

All of that having been said, the introduction is adequate.And, of course, Neruda is remarkable.

I printed this very book. I have to give it 5 stars.
I printed this book in 1986 in Bandon, Oregon using a Vandercook Universal #3 Press, Lutetia type from Harold Berliner's Typefoundry on Arches laid paper.

There are several inaccurate assumptions in the reviews here. Most importantly, this is not a Tarn translation. It is by the poet David Young, editor of Field Magazine at Oberlin College. His translations of Rilke are equally stunning.

This is an English only edition: Farrar, Straus & Giroux owns ALL English versions of Neruda published in English (or did so at that time) and the Neruda Estate owned the Spanish. It took 18 months to receive permission for 155 editions of the English and the Spanish permissions were far more daunting.

The binding was done by Greg Campbell at Campbell-Logan Bindery in St. Paul, Minn. I used green Roma paper over boards with red cloth 1/4 bound spine.

The full page line drawing of the condor was done by Jack Schroeder, a well known artist from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I asked him to draw the condor as if embracing the sense of "sloping height", and "Incan priest." I think he accomplished it well.

I hope this helps and falls within Amazon's guidelines

Neruda never misses
Every review here mentions the spectacular nature of Neruda's captivating poem.As he said himself, he follows the philosophy of Rimbaud and arms himself with a "burning patience" that allows him to "enter splendid cities."However, the translation falls short of the quality of Neruda's words.Tarn inserts his own interpretations/images in his word choice which result in the creation of a new poem--ocassionally distant or discordant with the original. (quick example: in Canto XII, Neruda twice uses the word "río" in one of many instances of repetition in the poem.Tarn replaces the first use with "torrent" and the second with "Amazon."He effectively removed Neruda's use of repetition and inserted a proper noun which carries with it connotations perhaps not intended by Neruda. This is merely one of many instances where Tarn's translation subtly, but importantly changes the poem's meaning).However, if you are a lover of Neruda poems and have a reasonable grasp of Spanish, this is an essential for your collection.

6 stars for the poem, 2 for the translation = overall score of 4 stars

masterful
Neruda is easily one of the 20th centuries greatest poets. The Heights of Macchu Picchu is an excellent poem (Tarn's translation is a good one). It weakens a bit towards the end, but the first 2/3 of the poems is wonderful stuff. And Robert Pring-Mill prefaces this edition with a great essay that really takes you into the meaning of Neruda's poem.

Neruda: one of the greatest Latin American Poets .
Pablo Neruda, born in Chile 1904, is one of the greatest Latin American Poets to have livedwas one of Latin America�s greatest poets.

The Heights of Macchu Picchu (considered by some to be his finest poem) was inspired by his journey to this famed ruined Peruvian Inca city. These poems take on a progressive journey within both the past of Latin America and the roots of the poet himself.

Lovers and devoted students of poetry will be caught up in Neruda's poetic power, hopefully capturing the quintessence of this great poets mind. Others, like myself, who are occasional readers of poetry, may need to reread his words, but, through the rereading, Neruda's own spirit will descend into you mind.

Pablo Neruda speaks to the heart and struggle of us all, as he writes, "How many times in wintry streets, or in a bus, a boat a dusk,.... in the very lair of human pleasure, have I wanted to pause and look for the eternal, unfathomable truth's filament I'd fingered once in stone, or in the flash of a kiss released." Highly Recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
The classic and deeply moving memoir by Pablo Neruda, the most widely read political poet of our time and winner of the Nobel Prize

The south of Chile was a frontier wilderness when Pablo Neruda was born in 1904.In these memoirs he retraces his bohemian student years in Santiago; his sojourns as Chilean consul in Burma, Ceylon, and Java, in Spain during the civil war, and in Mexico; and his service as a Chilean senator.Neruda, a Communist, was driven from his senate seat in 1948, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.After a year in hiding, he escaped on horseback over the Andes and then to Europe; his travels took him to Russia, Eastern Europe, and China before he was finally able to return home in 1952.The final section of the memoirs was written after the coup in 1972 that overthrew Neruda's friend Salvador Allende.

Many of the century's most important literary and artistic figures were Neruda's friends, and figure in his memoirs--Garcia Lorca, Aragon,Picasso, and Rivera, among them--and also such political leaders as Gandhi, Nehru, Mao, Castro, and Che Guevara.In his uniquely expressive prose, Neruda not only explains his views on poetry and describes the circumstances that inspired many of his poems, but he creates a revealing record of his life as a poet, a patriot, and one of the twentieth century's true men of conscience.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Inacurate and misleading translation
More than a review, I want to express my concern for so many mistakes inthis translation.
Just in one page I chose to read (p.53-54)I foundvarious inexplicable mistakes.
i.e. the translator chooses the word "vowels" to translate "vocablos", which in Spanish is a synonym for "words", therefore the whole sense of Neruda's "love for words" is twisted to say "love for vowels", totally meaningless!
Again, When Neruda says a word sits in a sentence "como una reinta", the translator changes the meaning of "like a little queen" to "like a small little thing" which has nothing to do with the sense of "little queen".
Just another example -of many more in just one page- when the Poet says "las palabras viven en el féretro escondido", what is hidden is the "féretro" (bier), not the words;nevertheless, the translator places the words as hidden in the bier, which is by no means the case.
One does wonder how such imprecise, careless translation of such a great poet has been allowed to be published!

Nice
It is wonderful when individuals take the risk to share such intimate and enlightening details of there life.
Aaron Bryant: BSW, CSAC Author A Synchronous Memoir of Addiction and Recovery

Great poet!
It seems like Neruda was an ornamented lamp which swang to and fro, between corners of this tumultous earth. What a poet he was! Disilliusioned, sharp sighted, naive, egoistical, but always compassionate. Time, that monster blindfolded him. He didn't see the "kremlin mountaineer, rolling out executions on his tounge like berries", like Mandelstam wrote, his brother in arms, who paid for his poems with his life. Those were dark and horrible days when even the most clearsighted poets refused to see the truth.

See how the winds blows, it never rests. The fire lies still, encaptured in his own heat. How can fire walk with the wind? Trough words, syllables and flames. Neruda takes a walk with the fire, and he lights the fire. They sit down and look over the darkened sea. Come, bring your memoirs, your lanterns!

Poet and friends of poets, traveler and man of adventure
This is not the kind of Memoir which attempts to truly detail and cover the life of its subject. It is rather impressionistic and anecdotal. For instance it opens with a description of the world of southern Chile ,Neruda's native land. Aside from one loving reference to his step-mother Neruda tells us almost nothing about his family. His father was a railroad worker who did not show any interest in or respect for the poetry of his son. Neruda's focus is on himself and the natural world. His descriptions have a poetic strength about them. The book is filled with many incidents and vignetters which are of great interest. For instance he tells of a time when lost in the forest and he is directed to the house of three elderly sisters who provide at the edge of the jungle a whole world in their home of Parisian culture and cuisine.He tells us of his childhood years, and then his time at university in Santiago. He writes much about Valparaiso. And then he writes about his travelings in the diplomatic service. His wanderings in Southeast Asia bring him in touch with many exotic worlds. Loneliness and adventure seem his twin companions. For the greatest part of the book we read of romantic and sexual adventures without love. At one point in the story it seems his most affectionate relation in life is with a strangely domesticated mangoose he has adopted in Ceylon. The weak part of the book for me is the political opinionizing, especially when this becomes anti- Americanism. Neruda was a dedicated Communist. The chapter on his life in Spain in the Loyalist cause is central. Neruda believed more great poetry came out of the Spanish Civil War than out of the whole of the Second War. Neruda was from youth deeply involved in the world of poetry. Poets were his best friends and he describes and praises the work of many. His generosity in this is one of the great virtues of his character. And in fact he writes towards the end of the book a series of portraits of poet- friends of his. He also writes about a 'poetry of joy' and has loving words for his third wife. Neruda is a poet who believe that poetry could be made out of anything and everything. And one feels a poetic spirit pervades his work.

great book! and my favorite Poet
Fabulous read, it is a great memoir and should be picked up by people interested in this genre. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
The Nobel Prize winner 's classiccollection of love poems.Pablo Neruda, winner of the Nobel Prize forLiterature, finished writing The Captain'sVerses in 1952 while in exile on the island of Capri—the paradisal setting for theblockbuster film Il Postino (ThePostman). Surrounded by sea, sun, andCapri's natural splendors, Neruda addressedthese poems to his lover Matilde Urrutia beforethey were married, but didn't publish thempublicly until 1963. This complete, bilingualcollection has become a classic for love-struckreaders around the world—passionately sensuous,and exploding with all the erotic energy of anew love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

My favorite book of poetry
This is my all time favorite book of poetry. This is the 6th time I've purchased this book on Amazon, because I'm always compelled to share it and give it to someone for them to enjoy.I took my last copy on a trip to see friends in Ecuador, so being written in both English and Spanish, it helped me work on my Spanish.I highly recommend this beautiful collection to anyone who appreciates passionate verse.

Absolutely beautiful
The poetry of Pablo Neruda is absolutely soulful and stunning. His notions about romantic love are earthy and stripped of all pretense. His way with words, even in the translation from Spanish, captivate his feelings to such an intense degree, it is just beautiful.

beautiful love poems
i had no problems with the translations... i don't speak spanish :] they don't sound forced or choppy to me, though. neruda is a wonderful poet. i re-read this all the time.

Sensual masterpieces
I bought this book because for the long time I wanted to read something by Neruda, and this bilingual edition offered an opportunity to read the originalSpanish alongside with the English translation. Since I know a bit of Spanish, this was an opportunity to practice it and improve it, as well as get exposed to some of the most sensual and inspiring poems in any language. Neruda's idiom is rich with metaphors, and he takes everyday objects and situations and imbues them with poetic and emotional undertones. This fascination with common objects is particularly useful for someone who is learning Spanish - it provides a great and enjoyable vocabulary-building opportunity. However, be warned - some phrases and words are a bit risque, and you shouldn't be too liberal at trying to impress your Spanish speaking friends at parties. It may lead to some interesting situations.

So Beautiful
This is quite possibly the most beautiful book of poetry that I have ever read.

An excellent gift to one that you love passionately. ... Read more

Product Description
New Directions celebrates the Pablo Neruda Centennial.In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Pablo Neruda's birth, New Directions is pleased to announce the reissue of a classic work in a timeless translation by Donald D. Walsh and fully bilingual.

Residence on Earth is perhaps Neruda's greatest work. Upon its publication in 1973, this bilingual publication instantly became "a revolution... a classic by which masterpieces are judged" (Review). "In Residence on Earth," wrote Amado Alonso, "the tornado of fury will no longer pass without lingering, because it will be identified with [Neruda's] heart." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Minority View
I am sure this will be a distinctly minority view, but I would caution the first time, non Spanish speaking reader of Neruda away from this work and this translation.

I find the poems from the first residence here almost impenetrably surrealistic and the translations overly literal in many places.The later poems are awkwardly political, violent, and at times vulgar.There are bright spots such as the Ode to Federico Garcia Lorca, but to my taste, they are few and far between.

I would, instead of this volume, recommend Stephen Mitchell's lovely translations of the later works of Neruda entitled "Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon".

Those of you who are already spitting mad that anyone would dare to find Neruda anything but brilliant need read no further, but for those wondering how I can complain about translations that everyone else praised, I will take some time with one poem to flesh out my position.

The very first poem in the collection is Galope Muerto or Dead Gallop as Mr. Walsh renders it.There's just not space to render both Spanish and English, but I've spent hours with both due to things like the translation of the very first line including the phrase "like seas peopling themselves".Now I don't care if you are a surrealist or something else, that phrase is English drivel.Two lines later we find "the crossed bells crossing," which while not exactly nonsense, does not move the meaning of the poem forward in any accessible way.

Later in the second stanza of the same poem we have "... like the pulley wild within itself,/those motor wheels in short."Now, this make no earthly sense in English.It also ignores the punctuation of the second line in Spanish that reads " esas ruedas de los motores, en fin."I wouldn't mind that if it improved the sense of what was said, but here something seems lost without recompense. Worse yet, the translation continues: "Existing like the dry stitches in the tree's seams,/ silent, all around, in such a way,/ all the limbs mixing their tails."Again, I'm sorry, with due respect to Mr. Walsh, this is jibberish.And while he's preserved the parenthetical phrase here by rendering "de tal modo" as "in such a way" it relates to no phrase before it nor any following and so is parenthetical to nothing.It justs sits there without meaning.

Since these lines were some of the first I read and bothered me so, I spent in excess of twenty hours with on-line translators and a Spanish/English dictionary to try to decide for myself what some reasonable sense of these two stanzas might be in English.Admittedly, the Spanish is either quite figurative or idiomatic.Some of what I complain of above is pretty literally what's written.Still, when a translator is willing to render gibberish rather than trying to provide lines with reasonable meaning, I'm just never going to be able to trust what I'm reading.Certainly, you can go too far in the other direction as well, but really, tree limbs mixing their tails?Sorry, Mr. Walsh lost me and any recommendation I might have given this volume in these first two stanzas.

It's just not that hard to see that colas, the word he translates as "tails" also can mean a train, like on a dress, and that dry stitches in the seams of a tree might "combine" (another meaning for the word he translates as mixing) the limbs of the trees into such a thing. Thus, perhaps: "Existing like the sapless stitches in the seams of trees,/ silent, surrounding, so that/ all the limbs combine in a train."/.

The pulley (I think) is "mad within itself, those wheels of its motors, anyway." And "the crossed bells crossing" at the "crest of the roads", might be rendered: "the criss-crossed overlapping sound of bells". Admittedly, "seas peopling themselves,/ in the submerged slowness, in the shaplessness," was a puzzler.I settled on "...seas becoming occupied/ by submerged slowness, by formlessness,".If this is Greg Nobody saying what he thinks the Nobel Prize winning poet said, sure it is, and maybe it's off base, but at least for me, a questionable or even wrong meaning was preferable to none.

Neruda was a great poet.As a starter though, I'd send the non Spanish speaker someplace other than this volume, despite, I'm sure, that recommendation will be a minority view.

Here is honest poetry that everyone can enjoy
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.

Amazing
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.

Excellent collection of candid poems of emotion.
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 thiswork are a superb display of the skill Neruda has.Residence on Earth is acompilation of poetry from a mature poet who willfully takes risks, andcarries through with beautiful prose.Nerudas candid emotionalstylizations convince one of the feeling of being consumed by the poetryitself.Neruda is boundless in structure. The easy style allow for thereader to atempt to understand the abundant imagery and symbolism containedtraditionally within Nerudas works. One must read this compilation, as onewould consume a fine port wine, or richly decadent chocolate-withtrepidation.Time to reflect and savor the splendor of this poet is mostdefinately required. ... Read more