As uvas e o vento

by Pablo Neruda, Albano Martins (Translator)

Después de la publicación del 'Canto General', el poeta Pablo Neruda tiene que dejar su cargo de senador por el Partido Comunista y es expulsado de Chile al caducar el permiso constitucional que le había impuesto el presidente del senado. Durante dos años viaja por Europa y Asia, es reconocido como poeta y a veces perseguido por las policías políticas. De esa experiencia nace 'Las uvas y el viento'. Pablo Neruda es un poeta consagrado por los lectores y discutido por los críticos. El propio Neruda, al enunciarse como un yo poeta a lo largo de su obra, contribuye a que su poesía sea identificada con los episodios reales de la vida del autor. 'Las uvas y el viento' afirma que lo que allí cuenta el poeta 'no es muy de fiar', como si el poema fuese un testimonio sujeto a verificación o, confundidos, nos preguntásemos para la verdad abandonando la verdad de la denotación estética.

Genres: Poetry, Spanish Literature, Latin American Literature

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

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

[Brian Beatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neruda's poetics transcend his politics most of the time. The plainspokenness of this translation may not set off enough fireworks for some readers, but the belated accessibility of this work alone makes it a worthwhile read.

[Paulinho Barreto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pablo Neruda transborda seus anseios comunistas de uma forma muito profunda nesses poemas. Há a expressão clara do desejo de romper com as barreiras que dividem e que provocam a miséria humana. Este livro acaba tendo alguns poemas meio fracos e muito específicos sobre determinados países. Contudo, no geral, é um ótimo livro para entender esse momento em que regimes socialistas cresciam no mundo, e junto com eles a esperança de um dia a humanidade caminhar sem devorar a si mesma.

[Benjamin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pablo Neruda wrote Grapes and the Wind during his political exile from Chile and toured the countries of Europe and Asia in the aftermath of the second world war. His imagery, love, and abundance for people and the world: the geography, mountains, and ocean, and especially Chile. I absolutely loved this piece from Neruda and the translation from Straus is superb.

[Nataly Tiare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poemas dedicados a los países socialistas de Europa y Asia.

Más allá de la política, poesía a otro nivel. Logra crear imágenes y llevarte en un viaje capaz de atravesar continentes ligero como una pluma.

[Cyeba Alcala]

Si soy franca aún no tengo una posible calificación a este libro.
Los poemas tienen una calidad muy buena, su lirismo es muy sensorial y bellamente logrado.
Pero de alguna manera tuve una impresión muy diferente de lo que pensé que sería este libro.
Lo vi como un poemario de viajes, en el cual Neruda describía con poesía lo que iba viendo de los paisajes y sitios, sus experiencias y sabores...

En teoría lo es, es solo que a su vez está impregnado de filosofía y políticas, pensamientos que van desde el materialismo histórico del fundamento marxista, con Neruda hablando de la clase obrera, proletaria, como figura heroica y fundamental del surgimiento de progreso y cambio.
Enfrenta y compara al hombre con fuerzas de la naturaleza, las representa en contraste con conceptos como dios y la religión, hablando de éstos como generadores de Yugos y dolores de la humanidad, si bien portadora de "esperanza" y no de realidades; de cómo el hombre forja el mundo a cambio con el trabajo.
Alaba figuras de diversos países socialistas, y centra muchas de sus alegorías a la persecución fascista y nacionalista, dando su tiempo de elogio a las revoluciones sociales, sobre todo en China con el KMT.

Hay dejes de despatrialización, donde casi parece que niega a Chile y no sé porqué será el caso. Llamando a España su patria, anhelándola... mientras se olvida que los indígenas de los que habla son nacionales de Chile (además de Perú) y solo menciona en cambio a Bolivia cuando habla de ellos.
Un desprecio absoluto por Norte América y principalmente Estados Unidos y lo que representa.

Todo eso me sorprendió y de un modo peculiar hacia lo grato pues no lo esperaba. Sigue presente la sensualidad de sus imágenes, y la eterna comparativa al cuerpo femenino, presente en el resurgimiento y la naturaleza, sobre todo en la tierra.

Pero... la figura que lo crea me genera un conflicto que no puedo negar, y no estoy segura de cómo definir mi opinión de momento.

[Sammtins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um dos poucos que me tocam

[Barbara Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful introduction and translator's note for one of the less well-known poetry books by Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda. The translator describes the collection as "a love song to his native land, written from afar during his wandering exile." Many poems are addressed to countries he visited, often in praise of their Communist governments. I found the poems very readable: short lines, simple language, and a deep appreciation of the natural world.

[Alberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente! Simplemente un testimonio más de la brillantez y del genio del gran maestro chileno.