1. 1904–1973 Chile’s most beloved poet
Pablo Neruda
1904–1973
Chile’s most beloved poet

2. Pablo Neruda
Born Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto in Parral, Chile in 1904
Father was a government railway worker
Published poems under a false name derived from a Czech poet
1971: Nobel Prize for Literature
The Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez once called Neruda “the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language.” 
Harold Bloom included Neruda as one of the 26 writers central to the “Western tradition” in his book The Western Canon.

3. Pablo Neruda: Writer & Diplomat
1935: Residencia en la tierra [Residence on Earth] marked Neruda’s emergence as an important international poet
Residencia en la tierra foreshadows the post-World War II philosophy of existentialism:
the work reflects a world which is largely chaotic and senseless
Communism rescued Neruda from the despair he expressed in the first parts of Residencia en la tierra, and led to a change in his approach to poetry.

4. Chile 2013 Population: 17.62 million
Roughly the size of Texas
The majority religion in Chile is Christian (71%):
59%  Catholic
16% Protestant or Evangelical
3% other
22% agnostics and atheist

7. Socialist/ Communist Era in Chile
The Communists initially came to power as a result of:
the popular electoral revolution in due to widespread unemployment in the wake of the Chilean financial crisis
the 9.5 earthquake in 1960
the drought in 1962
the lower-class frustrations over wealth polarization and perceived oligarchy
The Communist Revolution came shortly after the 1964 elections and lasted until about 1973 when a military dictatorship was installed.

8. Pablo Neruda: Writer & Diplomat
Chilean consul to
Rangoon, Burma, 1927
Colombo, Ceylon, 1929
Batavia, Java, 1930
Buenos Aires, Siam, Cambodia, and Madrid, early 1930s
Mexico,
Elected to Chilean senate as Communist, 1945
Self-exiled in Mexico, due to outlaw of communism
Nominated for president on Chilean Communist Party ticket, 1970
Chilean ambassador to France,
Member of World Peace Council,

9. His work, both poetry and prose, advocated an active role in social change rather than simply describing his feelings.
Neruda was influenced by Surrealists like Salvador Dali.

10. “United Fruit Company” 1950
Table Group Discussion Questions
What dominant imagery patterns does Neruda use? Why?
2. Make connections to history—how does this poem show Neruda’s desire to affect social change with his poetry?
3. How does this poem connect to themes of the Mexican Revolution and Economic Imperialism?