When I was an undergraduate, I most appreciated those artists (that Shakespeare guy, for instance) whose lives were utterly lost while their writing remained as vibrant as ever. Analysis of literature crossed with biography annoyed me, because the great works stand on their own and exist independently from the human being that produced them. Rape is ugly. The poems are beautiful. Welcome to Neruda's beautifugly world, everybody.
Well said. Throughout the first half, I struggled with reading it. The second half is mostly focused on politics and how his life was affected by his communist beliefs. He is certainly one of the few poets I've felt was accessible and hence reading about his life (in his words) was both enlightening and very disconcerting. The fact that his memoir does not include anything about his only child is bothersome as well. More here: https://some-lionheart.medium.com/malva-nerudas-forgotten-daughter-and-the-moral-sacrifices-behind-male-greatness-d4ec4ac5dc35
When I was an undergraduate, I most appreciated those artists (that Shakespeare guy, for instance) whose lives were utterly lost while their writing remained as vibrant as ever. Analysis of literature crossed with biography annoyed me, because the great works stand on their own and exist independently from the human being that produced them. Rape is ugly. The poems are beautiful. Welcome to Neruda's beautifugly world, everybody.
Well said. Throughout the first half, I struggled with reading it. The second half is mostly focused on politics and how his life was affected by his communist beliefs. He is certainly one of the few poets I've felt was accessible and hence reading about his life (in his words) was both enlightening and very disconcerting. The fact that his memoir does not include anything about his only child is bothersome as well. More here: https://some-lionheart.medium.com/malva-nerudas-forgotten-daughter-and-the-moral-sacrifices-behind-male-greatness-d4ec4ac5dc35
Brilliant review.