Stones Of Chile

by Pablo Neruda

Pablo Neruda came to Isla Negra, on the seacoast of Chile, in 1939, upon
returning from Europe after the fall of the Spanish Republic. In those last months
during the end of the Spanish Civil War, Neruda arranged for the exodus of over
2,000 Spanish refugees to Chile.
At Isla Negra Neruda found“ . . . the coast was strewn with these extraordinary
presences of stone and they spoke to me in a hoarse and drenching language,
a jumble of marine cries and primal warnings?” Due to travel and obligations
elsewhere, it was some years before he began work on this book of stones. First
published in 1961, The Stones of Chile is both a public and a private state-
ment. From his walks along the rough shore poems are born out of the shapes
of boulders, shapes and spirits of animals, birds and men, and created out of
the solitude of sea, stone and wind.
Here, Neruda looks at nature from all sides integrating into his narrative history,
myth, geography and botany with details of the Chilean coast. In The Stones
of Chile we find a mature Neruda, at the height of his powers, addressing the
broad range of concerns that have occupied his poetic voice. Hope is coupled
with sadness as the poet describes the stark landscape of Chile with its few fertile
valleys, desolate north coast, rain forests in the south and its powerful and
awesome mountain ranges.
Neruda's love of the land allows him to accept its nakedness and poverty while
rejoicing in the mythical origins of its stones, and in the men and animals born
on those stones. He finds in nature a lifeforce overpowering the impermanence
of human existence; a force enduring and constant.
Neruda’s own life ended at Isla Negra on September 23, 1973, of cancer,
days after the assassination of Salvador Allende, the elected president of Chile,
and the overthrow of the government by the military. Neruda’s own long struggle
for the workers and the Chilean people collapsed in a river of repression, death,
and persecution by the military junta which continues to rule.
Dennis Maloney
August,
1986

Genres: Poetry

98 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Pablo Neruda, born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto in 1904 in Parral, Chile, was a poet, diplomat, and politician, widely considered one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century. From an early age, he showed a deep passion for poetry, publishing his first works as a teenager. He adopted the pen name Pablo Neruda to avoid disapproval from his father, who discouraged his literary ambitions. His breakthrough came with Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada (Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, 1924), a collection of deeply emotional and sensual poetry that gained international recognition and remains one of his most celebrated works.
Neruda’s career took him beyond literature into diplomacy, a path that allowed him to travel extensively and engage with political movements around the world. Beginning in 1927, he served in various consular posts in Asia and later in Spain, where he witnessed the Spanish Civil War and became an outspoken advocate for the Republican cause. His experiences led him to embrace communism, a commitment that would shape much of his later poetry and political activism. His collection España en el corazón (Spain in Our Hearts, 1937) reflected his deep sorrow over the war and marked a shift toward politically engaged writing.
Returning to Chile, he was elected to the Senate in 1945 as a member of the Communist Party. However, his vocal opposition to the repressive policies of President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla led to his exile. During this period, he traveled through various countries, including Argentina, Mexico, and the Soviet Union, further cementing his status as a global literary and political figure. It was during these years that he wrote Canto General (1950), an epic work chronicling Latin American history and the struggles of its people.
Neruda’s return to Chile in 1952 marked a new phase in his life, balancing political activity with a prolific literary output. He remained a staunch supporter of socialist ideals and later developed a close relationship with Salvador Allende, who appointed him as Chile’s ambassador to France in 1970. The following year, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, recognized for the scope and impact of his poetry. His later years were marked by illness, and he died in 1973, just days after the military coup that overthrew Allende. His legacy endures, not only in his vast body of work but also in his influence on literature, political thought, and the cultural identity of Latin America.

Reviews

[Edita · Rating 4 out of 5]

and then time came and arrived,
left and returned, returned and left,
until it deserted,
*
Along the Chilean coast, with cold and winter,
when rain falls washing the weeks.
Listen: solitude becomes music once more,
and it seems its appearance is that of air, of rain,
that time, something with wave and wings, passes by,
grows. And the harp awakes from oblivion.

[Elisa Vangelisti · Rating 4 out of 5]

sempre più mi stupisco delle assonanze fra me e il sommo poeta. da rileggere.

rilettura. confermo il giudizio perchè son poche le liriche preferite.

rilettura (da 3 a 4 stelle): poche ma buone. straordinario.

rilettura (da 4 a 3 stelle): è rimasta una sola lirica degna di nota, ma non posso liberarmi di questo volume perchè è straordinaria. abbasso solo il giudizio.

rilettura. confermo il giudizio, ma non posso conservare un volume per una lirica. libero

[Jo M · Rating 3 out of 5]

اكبر بهالغربة وما بتعرفني بلادي ؟
But for Neruda, the stones of chile is where he was born and where everything in the world began and shall end. He’s also a stone, for only stones love each other this much