A Finalist for 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
Poet’s Calling is the product of fifteen years of research by
Mark Eisner, writer, translator, and documentary filmmaker. The book
vividly depicts Neruda’s monumental life, potent verse, and ardent
belief in the “poet’s obligation” to use poetry for social
good. It braids together three major strands of Neruda’s life—his
world-revered poetry; his political engagement; and his tumultuous,
even controversial, personal life—forming a single cohesive
narrative of intimacy and breadth.
The fascinating
events of Neruda’s life are interspersed with Eisner’s thoughtful
examinations of the poems, both as works of art in their own right
and as mirrors of Neruda’s life and times. The result is a book
that animates Neruda’s riveting story in a new way—one that
offers a compelling narrative version of Neruda’s life and work,
undergirded by exhaustive research, yet designed to bring this
colossal literary figure to a broader audience.