Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon: Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda [Paperback]

Pablo Neruda (Author), Stephen Mitchell (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0060928778 | ISBN-13: 978-0060928773 | Publication Date: January 23, 1998

Praise for Stephen Mitchell's translation of Rilke:

"Perhaps the most beautiful group of poetic translations this century has produced." 
-- Chicago Tribune

"This is, without any doubt, the best English rendering of Rilke. It is as faithful to the original as the translation of poetry can hope to be, faithful not only to its linguistic meaning but to its poetic expressiveness."

-- Erich Heller, Poetry 

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Chilean poet Neruda (1904-73), winner of the Nobel prize among other honors and whose love poems served as the inspiration for the movie Il Postino, was prolific, and his work took many forms, including the highly political. Stephen Mitchell, translator and reader, has wisely selected from among the various odes and love poems for this extremely well-produced audio offering. "Forgive me, Seagull, I am a poet of reality," he says, after first praising the bird, then going on to describe its barking, its stealing garbage from the mouths of other gulls. Luckily for listeners, Neruda's "reality" permits forays into imagination, such as the baby's foot that thinks it can fly or the suit that might soon wear thin or might outlive its owner and be used for burial. No subject in Neruda's hands is unworthy of praise, including the onion, the artichoke, salt, socks, or the watch on a lover's wrist. While translations of the poet's work abound in print, and there are tapes of him reading his own poems, this is only the second tape of translations available. A true delight; recommended for all libraries. Rochelle Ratner, formerly with "Soho Weekly News," New York
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), one of the most beloved poets of the twentieth century, was born in Parral, Chile. ?He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971.

---

Pablo Neruda (1904–1973), uno de los poetas mÁs renombrados del siglo veinte, naciÓ en Parral, Chile. En 1950 compartiÓ el Premio Internacional de la Paz con Paul Robeson y Pablo Picasso, y en 1971 fue galardonado con el Premio Nobel de Literatura.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (January 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060928778
• ISBN-13: 978-0060928773
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Mitchell was born in Brooklyn in 1943, educated at Amherst, the Sorbonne, and Yale, and de-educated through intensive Zen practice. His many books include the bestselling Tao Te Ching, The Gospel According to Jesus, Bhagavad Gita, The Book of Job, Meetings with the Archangel, Gilgamesh, and the forthcoming The Second Book of the Tao. When he is not writing, he likes to ' in no particular order ' think about writing, think about not writing, not think about writing, and not think about not writing. His favorite color is blue, which happens to be the color of his wife's eyes. You can read extensive excerpts from all his books on his website, www.stephenmitchellbooks.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure spirit, pure soul., August 10, 2000

By 

K. Peffley "kpeffley" (Tempe, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon: Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda (Paperback)

Having been interested in Neruda since seeing the movie "Il Postino," I've glanced at several collections for over 3 years, but never took a book home for my own. Looking for a collection that contained "Ode to Laziness" (one of my favorite subjects), I found and purchased Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon. I sat down in a big chair on a Sunday afternoon and opened it to the first page and the love affair started there. Usually, I read a book of poems randomly, just flipping here and there, looking for whatever surprizes me. For some unknown reason, I started this book from the beginning with Mitchell's introduction, then read the first poem. I couldn't help myself as I read one poem and then another till I had carefully read almost every one. Pure spirit, pure soul. Each poem is a love poem to the most simple, everyday, ordinary things of this world--his suit, his socks, his watch--engaging us to see a sheer web of grace that runs through out our lives. Put another way, Neruda sees and shows us a world that shimmers and loves us as fully as we love it.

Many thanks to S. Mitchell for creating this collection.

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mitchell's translation lets Neruda's voice sing off the page, May 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon: Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda (Paperback)

Stephen Mitchell translates an assortment of Neruda's lesser known poems that rank among his personal favorites. You can tell Mitchell truly loves these works as Neruda's voice almost literally sings off the page in English. The book itself is beautifully constructed with a painting by Gaugin adorning the cover. When you hold it in your hands, you will know you have discovered something truly special. You may also be interested in Mitchell's lovely translations of Rilke.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mitchell Does It Best, November 10, 2006

By 

Robyn Janyk (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon: Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda (Paperback)

I am a true lover of the work of Pablo Neruda and have perused many
translated works of the famous Chilean poet.
Stephen Mitchell's translations are by far the most eloquent I have found. I feel they best convey the many moods of Pablo Neruda. The writer is able to capture the most intense feelings in the poet's writing better than any I have read. Thank you Stephen Mitchell.