February 2006

It’s been a couple of months since I did a literary websites piece. This month I thought I’d highlight one of my favorite poets, Pablo Neruda: Chilean politician, poet and Nobel Laureate. If there is a poet that got me into poetry back in my undergraduate days, it was Neruda. He just made poetry approachable for me. (If you saw the movie Il Postino, he’s the poet that goes to live on the island.) So why do I like Neruda so much? There are a few reasons. I think I made him my favorite poet after I read his piece “Poem XV,” otherwise known as “I like it when you are quiet.” (Me gusta cuando callas). It’s a wonderfully romantic piece. Despite all the jokes that guys tend to make regarding the first line. Another great romantic piece of his opens with the line “Tonight I can write the saddest lines” (Puedo escribir los versos mas tristes esta noche)

But even more than the romantic stuff, the one thing that really captured me about his poetry was that he was the first poet I read that wrote about mundane things: His piece “Ode to the Artichoke” (Oda a la alcachofa) “Ode to the onion” (Oda a la cebolla)are pieces where he applies his artistic interpretation of everyday items. He made these items that I had seen only as simple and uninteresting vegetables into these beautiful and mysterious. So I would urge you to check out Pablo Neruda’s works. I’ve included some links throughout this piece and a few links follow.

Enjoy.

Some great Pablo Neruda Websites:
Antologia de poesia hispanoamericana: Pablo Neruda
Plagiarist Poetry Archive: Pablo Neruda

Tags: Pablo Neruda, Poet, Latin american poets, author