Residencia en la Tierra / Residence on Earth (Poesia, 27)

by Pablo Neruda

El poemario más intenso y personal del premio Nobel de Literatura, con prólogo de Raúl Zurita

«El más grande poeta del siglo XX en todos los idiomas». - Gabriel García Márquez
«Neruda significa un hombre nuevo en la América, una sensibilidad con la cual abre todo capítulo emocional americano. Su alta categoría arranca de su rotunda diferenciación». - Gabriela Mistral
 
Publicado inicialmente en 1933 y ampliado en 1935, Residencia en la tierra es el gran clásico del «más grande poeta del siglo XX en todos los idiomas», en palabras de Gabriel García Márquez. Después de escribir Crepusculario y Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada , y a raíz de una aguda crisis vital sufrida durante su estancia consular en oriente, Neruda se embarcó en la composición de este libro monumental que supuso una ruptura decisiva respecto a su obra anterior y la poesía en español.

Residencia en la tierra es uno de los poemarios más originales y emocionantes de Neruda y también uno de los más arriesgados por su vanguardismo, vinculado indirectamente con la corriente surrealista. Una honda reflexión sobre la vida, sobre la relación entre la naturaleza y los seres humanos, sobre la pérdida y sobre nuestro papel en el universo.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

The Nobel laureate’s most intense and personal collection of poems, with a prologue by Raúl Zurita.

“The greatest poet of the twentieth century in every language.” — Gabriel García Márquez
 
“Neruda means a new man in the Americas, a sensibility with which every emotional American chapter opens. His high standard stems from his resounding differentiation." — Gabriela Mistral
 
First published in 1933, and expanded in 1935, Residence on Earth is the great classic by “the greatest poet of the twentieth century in every language,” in the words of Gabriel García Márquez. After writing Crepusculario and Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair , and due to a severe life crisis he suffered during his consular stay in Asia, Neruda embarked on the composition of this monumental book that marked a decisive break from his previous work and poetry in the Spanish language.

Residence on Earth is one of Neruda’s most original and exciting collection of poems, also one of the most daring for its avant-garde quality, indirectly linked to the surreal movement. A profound reflection of life, of the relationship between nature and human beings, about loss, and about our role in the universe.

144 pages, Paperback

Published July 11, 2023

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

[Marta Navas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sere la unica q li dongui 1 estrella em sap greu pero simplement tenia curiositat per un autor classic i conegut com neruda peeeeero not for me. M’han agradar alguns poemes pero la majoria son molt sense sentit o jo no els entenc i aixo mestressa. Tambe escriu d’una manera com molt pessimista i jo no estic amb aquest mood ara mateix, per aixo tampoc m’ha remogut gaire.

[mario]

y tantas cosas que quiero olvidar

[Franco Ibarra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que difícil leer a Neruda, que difícil dejar de sentir rechazo por su figura, pero que necesaria su poética para entender nuestra propia tradición literaria. Leerlo o no, no cambiara a estas alturas su influencia, no cambiara que nuestra tradición se sustente en figuras como la de Neruda (y Huidobro, Mistral o de Rokha).
Este libro está marcado por su tiempo, un libro influenciado por el surrealismo de los años 20 a 30, la vanguardia del Río de la Plata, la generación del 27 en España y su propia experiencia como cónsul de Chile, un tránsito que hace desligándose de su identidad, su territorio, perdiendo (abandonando) amores, enterrando amigos, viviendo la felicidad y el horror que puede provocar el ser humano.

Detrás del lenguaje surrealista y las asociaciones de símbolos de este texto se encuentran los problemas de la condición humana y se encuentra una voz que empieza a convertirse en la que será la encargada de cantarle a todo el continente.

Te odio Neruda, pero que haríamos sin tu obra

[Juan David Laverde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un poemario de mediados de los años 30 que ya empieza a mostrar el genio de Neruda. Aún lejos de sus más y mejor logrados poemas, pero se notaba desde entonces la maestría de ese arcillero de las palabras que será Nobel de Literatura en 1971.

“Qué parecida eres al más largo beso”.

[María Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

si hubo poemas con los que conecté profundamente, pero otros sinsentido.