Pablo Neruda Dominic Moran Pablo Neruda TitlesintheseriesCriticalLivespresenttheworkofleadingcultural figuresofthemodernperiod.Eachbookexploresthelifeofthe artist,writer,philosopherorarchitectinquestionandrelatesitto theirmajorworks. JeanGenet GeorgesBataille StephenBarber StuartKendall MichelFoucault LudwigWittgenstein DavidMacey EdwardKanterian PabloPicasso FrankLloydWright MaryAnnCaws RobertMcCarter FranzKafka OctavioPaz SanderL.Gilman NickCaistor GuyDebord WalterBenjamin AndyMerrifield EstherLeslie MarcelDuchamp CharlesBaudelaire CarolineCros RosemaryLloyd JamesJoyce JeanCocteau AndrewGibson JamesS.Williams FrankLloydWright SergeiEisenstein RobertMcCarter MikeO’Mahony Jean-PaulSartre SalvadorDalí AndrewLeak MaryAnnCaws NoamChomsky SimonedeBeauvoir WolfgangB.Sperlich UrsulaTidd JorgeLuisBorges EdgarAllanPoe JasonWilson KevinHayes ErikSatie GertrudeStein MaryE.Davis LucyDaniel Pablo Neruda Dominic Moran reaktion books ForKatherine,atlast PublishedbyReaktionBooksLtd 33GreatSuttonStreet Londonec1v0dx,uk www.reaktionbooks.co.uk Firstpublished2009 Copyright©DominicMoran2009 Allrightsreserved Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,or transmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopy- ing,recordingorotherwise,withoutthepriorpermissionofthepublishers. PrintedandboundinGreatBritain bycpi/AntonyRowe,Chippenham,Wiltshire BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData Moran,Dominic(DominicP.) PabloNeruda.–(Criticallives) 1.Neruda,Pablo,1904–1973. 2.Poets,Chilean–20thcentury–Biography. I.Title II.Series 861.6’2-dc22 isbn:9781861895141 Contents Introduction 7 1 FromtheFrontiertotheMetropolis 14 2 ResidenceonEarth 46 3 SpainintheHeart 64 4 AVisionofAmerica 84 5 LoveandPolitics 118 6 CrimesandCompromises 138 7 ACubanMissile 165 8 AFinalFlourishandaLastDefeat 179 References 199 SelectBibliography 213 Acknowledgements 219 PhotoAcknowledgements 221 NerudaduringhistimeasChileanAmbassadortoFrance,1971. Introduction Thatmostobduratelybookishofwriters,JorgeLuisBorges (1899–1986),oncereflected,‘Fewthingshaveeverhappenedto me,thoughIhavereadagreatmany.’1Nothingcouldbefurther fromthetruthinthecaseofPabloNeruda(1904–1973),wholed somethinglikethearchetypalLatinAmericanliterarylife,onethat oftenteeteredperilouslybetweenhighdramaandthelowestfarce, andinwhichthepersonalandthepublic,aestheticsandpolitics, manandwork,wereandremainallbutinextricable.Perhapsthe onlywriterinthemodernagewithwhomhecanbefruitfully comparedisVictorHugo.Besidesbeingapraeternaturallygifted andstaggeringlyprolificpoet,producingmorethanthirtybooks ofversewhichweighinatoverfourthousandpages,fromanearly agehebecameembroiledinbothnationalandinternationalaffairs inwaysthatwerebyturnsnaive,enterprising,courageous,frivolous andoftenprofoundlycontroversial.Inthelate1920shefound himselfoutintheFarEast,witnessing,fromoutofamiasmaof fever,opiumfumesandcheapwhisky,thedeaththroesofthe BritishEmpire.LessthanadecadelaterhewasinSpainatthe outbreakoftheCivilWar,aneventthatturnedhisworldupside downandeventuallyledhimtoembraceanincreasinglymilitant communism.Inthe1940s,asafullyfledgedPartymember,he servedintheChileansenate,wherehisbraveprotestsagainsta corruptandoppressivegovernmentledhimtobestrippedofhis postandforcedintohidingwithapriceonhishead.Inthe1950s 7 and’60shisunbendingpublicadherencetotheradicalLeft frequentlylandedhiminhotwater,especiallyafterpersistent rumoursconcerningheinousgoings-onintheSovietUnionwere confirmedandtheussrtooktoinvading‘insubordinate’Eastern blocstatesatwill.Inhisfinalyears,despitesevereillhealth,he campaignedtobringsocialismtohisnativeChile,butlivedjust longenoughtoseeGeneralAugustoPinochetshatterthedream forwhichhehadfoughtsotenaciously.Somehow,throughout allofthis,hispenseemednevertorest.These,asthereaderwill quicklygather,arenomorethanheavilyeditedhighlightsfroma lifeburstingwiththetypeofincidentandupheavalthatwould lookmoreathomeinaRomanticmelodramaorMexicansoap operathaninasynopticandpurportedlysaneliterarybiography. Itis,Ithink,hardlycoincidentalthatNerudahasappearedas acharacterinaplethoraofnovels,playsandstories,aswell,of course,asinMichaelRadford’swonderful(though,fromastrictly biographicalpointofview,wildlyinaccurate)filmIlPostino(1994), itselfbasedlooselyonAntonioSkármeta’snovelArdientepaciencia (‘BurningPatience’;1985).AsIwritethisforewordheisaboutto bereincarnatedbyPlácidoDomingoinMexicancomposerDaniel Catán’soperaticre-imaginingofthefilm,duetobepremieredin LosAngelesin2009.Perhapstheoutsize,gloriouslyimprobable worldofoperawillprovetobetheoneinwhichthelarger-than-life figureofNerudafindsitselfmostathome. Itishardlysurprisingthatalifesocrammedwithhyperbole ofeverysorthaselicitedextreme,oftenpoliticallymotivated reactionsfromcriticsandbiographers,someofwhom,suchas fellowhardlinerVolodiaTeitelboim,veertowardshagiography, whilstothers,likeDavidSchidlowsky,seembentonperforminga full-scalehatchetjob.Certainlyitisdifficult,perhapseveninappro- priate,toremaincompletelyimpartialwhendealingwithalifeas flagrantlypartisanasNeruda’s,andthroughoutthecourseofmy ownretellingIhavenoqualmsaboutmakingmyviewsoncertain 8