Die Trauben und der Wind

by Pablo Neruda

324 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1986

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

[Rick Lupert · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Die Trauben und der Wind" von Pablo Neruda, ins Deutsche übersetzt von Erich Arendt, ist, aus heutiger Perspektive, ein irritierendes Werk: ein Gedichtzyklus in kosequent sozialistisch-realistischer Manier, voller Lobgesänge und Elegien auf Mao, Lenin und Stalin, Verdammungen Churchills, Eisenhowers und Trumans, einer tatsächlich unangenehm homophoben Auslassung über das dekadente West-Berlin. Das ganze in sehr deutlichen, klaren Versen, an denen man nichts entschlüsseln muss. Heute wirkt der ganze Band total aus der Zeit gefallen. Ich würde aber sagen, das ist nicht dem Werk sondern der Nichtigkeit heutiger Lyrik vorzuwerfen - denn Neruda geht es auf jeder Seite dieses poetischen Reiseberichtes um Inhalte, an die sich die zeitgenössische Lyrik, wenigstens deutscher Sprache, kaum wagt: Es geht um die internationale Solidarität, die Aufgabe des Dichters in der Revolution, den Aufbau fortschrittlicher Gesellschaften in verschiedensten Ländern und die Rückschrittlichkeit anderer Länder, die wir heute gemeinhin als die Zentren der Modernität ansehen würden - Chicago wird bei Neruda zum Symbol dessen, wie eine Stadt und Gesellschaft keinesfalls werden darf. Zugegeben: Die Stalin-Ehrerbietung fand ich auch kitschig, die Homophobie tut weh, aber in Wirklichkeit sind das Kleinkigkeiten (und auch nur kurze Stellen) in einem ansonsten wunderbar hoffnungsvollen Werk, dessen Menschenliebe keine Grenze kennt: "Möge verteilt sein / auf Erden aller Gesang." Außerdem ist es natürlich ein Zeitdokument, das Einblick gibt in eine Geisteshaltung, die heute verschüttet ist. Nach der Lektüre will man alles dafür tun, sie (auch in sich selbst) wieder freizulegen.