Pablo Neruda He was born in Parral, Chile, on July 12, 1904, and was a famous writer, recognized by his colleagues as the best poet of the 20th century. He was also the winner of the “Nobel Prize in Literature“ in 1971 and a “Honorary Doctorate” of the Oxford University.
Son of Jose del Carmen Reyes Morales and of Rosa Naftalí Basoalto Opazo, began to form in the Temuco High School, where he finished the 6th year of humanities in 1920. While in high school, “Naphtali Reyes“(pseudonym of the poet at that time), wrote several poems, such as:”Enthusiasm and perseverance“,”Ideal Communion” Y “Ideal Night“. At that time he met Gabriela Mistral, who would be responsible for influencing the writer with the best Russian poetry.
In 1923, he published the renowned collection of poems of his authorship called “Twilight“The following year, he wrote”Twenty love poems” Y “A desperate song“.
In 1926, his avant-garde era began, which consisted of three short books: “the habitant and his hope“,”Rings” Y “Attempt of the infinite man“.
In 1927, he was appointed consul in Rangoon, Burma. Also, in that same year, he was part of the call “Generation of 27“, along with many other poets of the time.
In 1930 he married his beloved Marie Antoinette Haagenar Vogelzanz, whom he affectionately called “Ling“Four years later his daughter came into the world, Malva Marina Trinidad, who from birth suffered from hydrocephalus, which ended up killing her at the age of eight. Finally, Neruda and his wife divorced in 1942.
After the death of his friend, the also writer Garcia Lorca in the middle of the Spanish civil war, Pablo Neruda wrote the book “Spain in the heart“, and was established in France by diplomatic missions.
Some time later, he was named “Consul general“in Mexico, where, in 1950, he rewrote his”General Song of Chile“, which was one of his most important works and was translated into 10 different languages.
In the year 1945, Neruda was decorated with the National Literature Prize. That same year he was elected as the new Senator of the Republic representing the provinces of Tarapacá and Antofagasta. It was there where he got the union with the Communist Party of Chile, where the poets were active Pablo de Rokha Y Vicente Huidobro, with whom he had a very pronounced enmity.
After Gabriel Gonzalez Videla assumed power, the Chilean poet was forced into exile for his political ideologies. It was at that moment when he left for Paris, where he was protected by several of his friends, including Picasso.
Finally, on August 12, 1952, he returned to Chile, where he published “The captain’s verses“,”The grapes and the wind” Y “Elemental Odes“The following year, he received the Stalin Peace Prize.
In 1965 he was awarded the title of “Doctor Honoris Causa” on the Oxford University, and was named “Honorary member” of the Chilean Academy of Language.
On October 21, 1971, he received nothing more and nothing less than the Nobel Prize in Literature. Where he himself relates: “The old monarch shook hands with each of us; He handed us the diploma, the medal and the check (…) It is said (or they told Matilde to impress her) that the king spent more time with me than with the other laureates, who shook my hand with evident sympathy. Perhaps it was reminiscent of the ancient palatial gentleness towards minstrels”.
After suffering a fulminant prostate cancer, Pablo Neruda died on September 23, 1973.
In 1974, after the poet’s death, “I confess that I have lived“, an autobiography, in which his adventures are described with details and various curiosities of his life.
His colleagues deeply admire Pablo Neruda. Harold bloom, He said: “no Western Hemisphere poet of our century admits of comparison with him“On the other hand, the novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez, he assured: “he is the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language“.