Poetry. Gabriel Garcia Marquez has stated that Pablo Neruda was the greatest poet of this century in any language. He may well be right. In this collection of poems we see the poet in the company of his muse, walking alongside the source of his most lyrical inspiration: the sea. Gazing from his house on the shores of Isla Negra, Neruda discovered a new way of seeing, as the ocean became a living metaphor for the infinite riches of the world, gleaming in his poetry: stones, turtles, crabs, anchors, celestial starfish, a bronze dolphin, the figurehead of a ship, a drowned sailor. I am grateful to White Pine Press that now I can share these poems with my students, the community of poets, or anyone who would appreciate Neruda's passion for existence. Gracias, companeros -- Martin Espada.

Author City: Santiago CHL

Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) held diplomatic posts in Asian and European countries. After joining the Communist Party, Neruda was elected to the Chilean Senate but was forced to live in exile in Mexico for several years. Eventually he established a permanent home on Isla Negra. In 1970 he was appointed as Chile's ambassador to France; in 1971 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.