Late and Posthumous Poems, 1968-1974: Bilingual Edition (Neruda, Pablo) [Paperback]

Pablo Neruda (Author), Ben Belitt (Translator), Manuel Duran (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Neruda, Pablo | Publication Date: January 12, 1994

This superb bilingual anthology highlights the posthumous legacy of Pablo Neruda, the great Chilean poet and Nobel laureate, who left a vast body of unpublished work when he died in 1973. Ben Belitt, a distinguished poet in his own right, is widely regarded as the leading translator of Neruda into English. Here he has given us a Neruda as fecund and engaged as ever, ceaselessly spinning the strands of his great, seamless life's work.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Spanish --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

This superb bilingual anthology highlights the posthumous legacy of Pablo Neruda, the great Chilean poet and Nobel laureate, who left a vast body of unpublished work when he died in 1973. Ben Belitt, a distinguished poet in his own right, is widely regarded as the leading translator of Neruda into English. Here he has given us a Neruda as fecund and engaged as ever, ceaselessly spinning the strands of his great, seamless life's work.

"For Ben Belitt, praise, nothing but praise for his translations. He has made the poems the product of an enthralled American poet immersed in an exotic world in which he must speak in American accents out of his training and upbringing, thus creating a distinctly new contribution to the tones and rhythms of contemporary American literature. To my mind, there is no doubt that poets to come will learn and recognize what has been accomplished here: two worlds of this hemisphere as having been merged in language in which the spirit of each continent finds itself in fugue-like complement to the other, singing together."--David Ignatow

"Neruda...was a brave man who wished us well and generously left us an incomparable body of poetry, the finest in Spanish in this century."--Frank MacShane, The New York Times Book Review

"What is most moving about the later Neruda is...the enormous generosity of his vision and his unfailing sense of humor. 'You learn poetry,' he said in 1956, 'moving step by step among things and beings, never isolating, but rather containing them all within a blind expression of love."--Luis E. Yglesias, Review 76

The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was, arguably, Latin America's greatest poet and, without question, he was one of this century's most prolific. The stylistic range of his works include the intimacy and melancholy of early works such as Twenty Poems of Love and A Song of Despair, the sweeping epic ambitions of Canto General which recounts the story of Latin American history, and the respectful fascination with everyday objects expressed in Odas Elementales. Neruda was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (January 12, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080213145X
• ISBN-13: 978-0802131454
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,923,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Pablo Neruda is regarded as the greatest Latin American poet of the 20th century. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971, his breadth of vision and wide range of themes are extraordinary, and his work continues to inspire new generations of writers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Belitt doesn't translate, he makes his own poems, and all Pablo's magic is gone, August 5, 2008

By 

Angelica (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Late and Posthumous Poems, 1968-1974: Bilingual Edition (Neruda, Pablo) (Paperback)

I bought this after reading some of Copper Canyon's books of Neruda's posthumous poetry. I'm fluent in Spanish, but can't find the books without translations here in the States. Simply put, while I loved Pablo's original words in this collection, it was anguishing to read these "translations," as they are more adaptations then anything else, and all of the original beauty and crystal poetic craft is lost. I'm going with the rest of Copper Canyon's series, I suggest you do the same.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliance Abounds, June 20, 2000

By 

Robert L. Fowler - See all my reviews

This review is from: Late and Posthumous Poems, 1968-1974: Bilingual Edition (Neruda, Pablo) (Paperback)

Pablo Neruda did not live an ordinary life. Neither was his death ordinary (technically he died of internal hemmorhaging, however he was murdered after supporting the first democratically elected communist leader... chock full of scandal). The first thing his widow did after hearing of his death was running to her study and taking from his desk all the poems that lay atop it (since he was known to write at least five poems a day, they were plents). These are the poems that appear in this book... you will want to write a letter to Neruda's widow praising her for saving some of the most beautiful work that Neruda did. His lyric quality and graphic diction make this a collection of poetry you want to dedicate yourself to memorizing. The poetry buries itself in your heart and you suddenly see new beauty springing around you. A must-buy.

1.0 out of 5 stars Great originals; Ugly, dead translations, March 3, 2011

By 

W. A. Lohaus (Berkeley, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Late and Posthumous Poems, 1968-1974: Bilingual Edition (Neruda, Pablo) (Paperback)

Angelica, another reviewer speaks for me as well: while I loved Pablo's original words in this collection, it was anguishing to read these "translations," as they are more adaptations then anything else, and all of the original beauty and crystal poetic craft is lost.
Yes ANGUISHING. The translator has molested Neruda's work, and smeared it with his ego. Why presses pay self-inflated bunglers to translate literary treasures defies me.
Buy The Essential Neruda instead--those translators obviously care about honest, faithful transmission, which is not the case here.