Neruda: The Biography of a Poet

(Paperback)

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A Finalistfor the PEN/Bograd Weld Prize for Biography

The most definitive biography to date of the poet Pablo Neruda, a moving portrait of one of the most intriguing and influential figures in Latin American history

Few poets have captured the global imagination like Pablo Neruda. In his native Chile, across Latin America, and in many other parts of the world, his name and legacy have become almost synonymous with liberation movements, and with the language of erotic love.

Neruda: The Poets Calling is the product of fifteen years of research by Mark Eisner, writer, translator, and documentary filmmaker. The book vividly depicts Nerudas monumental life, potent verse, and ardent belief in the poets obligation to use poetry for social good. It braids together three major strands of Nerudas lifehis world-revered poetry; his political engagement; and his tumultuous, even controversial, personal lifeforming a single cohesive narrative of intimacy and breadth.

The fascinating events of Nerudas life are interspersed with Eisners thoughtful examinations of the poems, both as works of art in their own right and as mirrors of Nerudas life and times. The result is a book that animates Nerudas riveting story in a new wayone that offers a compelling narrative version of Nerudas life and work, undergirded by exhaustive research, yet designed to bring this colossal literary figure to a broader audience.

Reviews

Perceptive readings of Nerudas poems are contextualized by an absorbing historical, cultural, and political chronology. Kirkus Reviews The comprehensive result examines Nerudas beloved poetry, political commitment, and roiling personal history to show how his art reflected his life and also stood on its own. Library Journal Efficient and moving... Eisner doesnt let the enchantment of the verse soften his disapproval of the poets serial adultery or mistreatment of women, and questions Nerudas self-appointed peoples poet status. Nevertheless, the thematic arc of Nerudas poetic vocation is invitingly presented. Meanwhile [Eisners] descriptions are poetry themselves... Publishers Weekly ...brings alive Latin Americas greatest poet...Empathetic but unflinching when occasion calls for criticism, Eisner weaves his subjects stanzas that resonate with the poets personal stories. A real treat is the whos who of intellectual luminaries who make cameos throughout...A definitive biography and instant classic. Library Journal(starred review) Eisner succeeds in sharing the story of the Peoples Poet and his lifes many callings in this new standard-bearer among Neruda biographies. Booklist

Author Bio

Mark Eisner has spent most of the past two decades working on projects related to Pablo Neruda. He conceived, edited, and was a principal translator of The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems (City Lights, 2004). He wrote the introduction to City Lights' first-ever English translation of Neruda's Venture of the Infinite Man, a project he developed. He is producing a documentary on Neruda, with support from Latino Public Broadcasting. An initial version, narrated by Isabel Allende, won the Latin American Studies Association Award of Merit.