Chile

One of the most famous poets from Chile is Pablo Neruda. He was born on July 12, 1904, with the name Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. At the age of thirteen he started publishing articles in, “La Manana.” He began to use the pen name Pablo Neruda so his family, who did not approve of his literary ambitions, would not know he was publishing articles. Pablo Neruda went to the University of Chile in Santiago and studied French and pedagogy. At the age of 23 he began working as a diplomat for Chile and held posts all over the world. He was married three times and received many awards. Some of these awards included the International Peace Prize in 1950, the Lenin Peace Prize and the Stalin Peace Prize in 1953 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. On September 23, 1973, Pablo Neruda died in Santiago of leukemia. Although his homes were robbed during the Pinochet regime, today they are all museums where travelers can see how he lived and view some of his personal belongings.

At poemhunter.com you can read some translated poems by Pablo Neruda.