Pablo Neruda published his first collection of poems at age 19. He went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature— and also rescue 2,000 refugees, spend three years in political exile, and run for president of Chile.
Pablo Neruda je objavio svoju prvu zbirku poezije sa 19 godina. Tokom života, dobiće Nobelovu nagradu za književnost, spasiće 2 000 izbeglica, provešće tri godine u političkom izgnanstvu i kandidovaće se za predsednika Čilea.
A romantic and a revolutionary, Neruda was one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, but also one of the most accessible and controversial. Originally written in Spanish, his poems often use straightforward language and everyday experience to create lasting impact.
Romantik i revolucionar, Neruda je jedan od najcenjenijih pesnika XX veka, ali je i jedan od najpristupačnijih i najkontroverznijih. Izvorno napisane na španskom, njegove pesme često koriste direktan jezik i svakidašnja iskustva kako bi ostavile trajan utisak.
Neruda was born Ricardo Eliezer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto in a small Chilean town in 1904. His father didn’t want him to be a poet, so at sixteen he began to write under the pen name “Pablo Neruda.” The poems in his early collection "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair" were tender and perceptive, illuminating the subtleties of love and enchantment. In "Poem VI," for example, he writes: “Tu recuerdo es de luz, de humo, de estanque en calma!/ Más allá de tus ojos ardían los crepúsculos.” Later, he poured this attention to detail into poems of appreciation for everyday objects. Many of the 225 short poems in his collection "All the Odes" are dedicated to the assortment of small, apparently insignificant items that surround us, from a pair of shoelaces to a watermelon. An onion is más hermosa que un ave/ de plumas cegadoras, while a tuna in the market is a bala del profundo/ océano, proyectil natatorio, te vi, muerto.
Neruda je rođen kao Rikardo Elijezer Neftali Rejes Basoalto u malom gradu u Čileu 1904. godine. Njegov otac nije želeo da on bude pesnik, pa je sa 16 godina počeo da piše pod pseudonimom „Pablo Neruda”. Pesme iz rane zbirke „Dvadeset ljubavnih pesama i jedna očajnikova” su bile nežne i opažajne, osvetljavale su suptilnosti ljubavi i začaranosti. U „Pesmi VI”, na primer, piše: ”Tvoje je sećanje od svetlosti, dima, utihlog ribnjaka! Tamo oči tvoje sumracima plamte.” Kasnije je usmerio detaljnu pažnju na pesme koje slave svakidašnje predmete. Većina od 225 kratkih pesama iz njegove zbirke „Kompletne ode” su posvećene nekoj sitnici, naoko beznačajnom predmetu iz našeg okruženja, od para pertli do lubenice. Luk je lepši od ptice zaslepljujućeg perja, dok je tuna na pijaci hitac iz dubine, okeana, plivajući projektil, koga sam spazio mrtvog.
Despite this early literary success, Neruda struggled financially, and took a series of diplomatic jobs in places such as Burma, Indonesia, Singapore and Spain. In 1936, while Neruda was working at the consulate in Madrid, civil war broke out and the government was overthrown by a fascist military dictatorship. Neruda organized an evacuation of refugees from Spain to Chile, saving 2,000 lives. Over a period of twenty years, Neruda captured his experiences abroad in a three volume poetry collection titled "Residence on Earth." Many of these poems were experimental and surreal, merging epic landscapes, supernatural themes, and feelings of longing with discussion of political strife and a poet’s responsibility to speak out against injustice. In “I Explain a Few Things” he lingers on haunting details of the destruction of the Spanish Civil War.
Uprkos ranom književnom uspehu, Neruda je imao finansijskih problema i prihvatio je niz diplomatskih poslova na mestima poput Burme, Indonezije, Singapura i Španije. Godine 1936, dok je radio u konzulatu u Madridu, izbio je građanski rat i fašistička vojna diktatura je svrgnula vladu. Neruda je organizovao evakuaciju izbeglica iz Španije u Čile, spasivši 2 000 života. Tokom perioda od 20 godina, Neruda je svoja iskustva iz tuđine opisao u zbirci poezije od tri toma naslovljenoj „Prebivalište na Zemlji”. Mnoge od ovih pesama su bile eksperimentalne i nadrealističke, stapale su epske pejzaže, natprirodne teme i osećanja žudnje, uz razmatranja političkog razdora i pesnikove odgovornosti da govori protiv nepravde. U pesmi „Objašnjavam nekoliko stvari” osvrće se na traumatične detalje destruktivnosti španskog građanskog rata.
For the rest of his life, Neruda remained committed to revolutionary ideals. His politics led to several years of exile before he was able to return to Chile in 1952. While in exile, he published his influential "Canto General." The book attempts to retell the entire history of Latin America through poetry, touching on everything from its flora and fauna to its politics and wars, but above all paying homage to the common people behind its civilizations’ achievements.
Ostatak svog života Neruda je ostao posvećen idealima revolucije. Zbog svoje politike proveo je nekoliko godina u izgnanstvu pre nego što je mogao da se vrati u Čile 1952. godine. Dok je bio u izgnanstvu, objavio je uticajnu zbirku „Elementarne pesme”. Knjiga pokušava da kroz poeziju prepriča celokupnu istoriju Latinske Amerike, dotičući se svega od latinoameričke flore i faune do njene politike i ratova, ali iznad svega odajući poštu običnim ljudima iza kulisa civilizacijskih postignuća.
Although he continued to travel, after returning from exile Neruda lived in Chile for the rest of his life. In 1970, at age 66, Neruda ran for president of Chile before yielding to Salvador Allende and becoming his close advisor. But in 1973, Allende was overthrown in a military coup by General Augusto Pinochet. Neruda died in the hospital a couple of weeks later. Because of the timing of his death so soon after the coup, rumors swirled that he had died of sadness or even been assassinated, but the hospital recorded his cause of death as cancer.
Iako je nastavio da putujue, nakon povratka iz izgnanstva, Neruda je do kraja života živeo u Čileu. Godine 1970, sa 66 godina, kandidovao se za predsednika Čilea, a potom se povukao zbog Salvadora Aljendea i postao je njegov blizak savetnik. Međutim, 1973. godine, Aljendea je svrgnuo u vojnom puču general Augusto Pinoče. Neruda je umro u bolnici par nedelja kasnije. Zbog trenutka u kom je umro neposredno nakon puča, kružile su glasine da je umro od tuge ili da je, pak, ubijen, međutim, u bolnici je zabeleženo da je uzrok smrti bio rak.
Today, Neruda’s lines are recited at protests and marches worldwide. Much like his life, Neruda’s poems bridged romance and revolution by emphasizing the everyday moments worth fighting for.
Danas se Nerudini stihovi recituju na protestima i marševima širom sveta. Baš kao i njegov život, Nerudine pesme su premošćavale romansu i revoluciju naglašavajući svakidašnje trenutke za koje se vredi boriti.