Confieso que he vivido

by Pablo Neruda

La edición ampliada y definitiva de las memorias de Pablo Neruda. En estas memorias Pablo Neruda narra los principales episodios de su vida y las circunstancias que rodearon la creación de su obra. Con la potencia verbal que caracteriza sus mejores escritos, expone tanto su concepción del arte y de la escritura como los motivos que lo llevaron a defender sus conocidas posiciones políticas, al tiempo que rememora su relación con personajes destacados, entre ellos, Federico García Lorca, Rafael Alberti y Miguel Hernández. Neruda fue un testigo privilegiado de la historia del siglo xx y un poeta de muchas vidas. Confieso que he vivido , su proyecto autobiográfico más ambicioso, construye el relato de una experiencia vital que refleja el devenir político, social y cultural de un continente. La presente edición de bolsillo reproduce el texto de la edición definitiva de las memorias del poeta, publicada en 2017. Entre otros temas, en los escritos que se incorporaron gracias al hallazgo de materiales inéditos, Neruda se refiere a la vida íntima de uno de sus grandes amigos, Federico García Lorca, reflexiona acerca de la religión y la escritura o sobre la dimensión histórica y política de la tierra austral, donde nace su poesía. La recuperación de estos textos inéditos nos permite proponer nuevas lecturas de las vidas del poeta.

544 pages, Paperback

Published September 13, 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

[Andres Parra Reti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho el libro. La razón por la cual no le pongo 5 estrellas, es porque el detallismo de los apéndices resulta a veces fastidioso de leer, y tampoco lo considero necesario de incorporar en la obra. No obstante, la parte original del libro es fascinante (sin los agregados posteriores). Lo disfruté.

Como detalle: la editorial Austral no consideró que en el idioma español, las preguntas y exclamaciones usan puntuación al inicio y término de las oraciones. En esta edición usaron solamente la puntuación al término de cada oración, lo que habría que corregir en las próximas reediciones.

[Pablo Paniagua Prieto · Rating 5 out of 5]

maravilloso libro, entre la narrativa, la anedocta y la poesia de un actor privilegiado de los grandes acontecimientos del siglo xx.