Pablo Neruda won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971 for poetry of elemental force that brought a continent’s destiny and dreams to life.
Neruda was the pen name of Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, a Chilean poet and diplomat. His writing ranges from love poetry and surrealist imagery to political verse, historical reflection, and poems about ordinary objects.
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair became one of the most widely read poetry collections of the twentieth century. Canto General presents a sweeping poetic history of Latin America and its peoples.
Neruda was Chile’s second Nobel Literature laureate. Gabriela Mistral won the award in 1945, making her the first Latin American recipient.