
The messy, brilliant life of Pablo Neruda - flannery
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-messy-brilliant-life-of-pablo-neruda/2018/04/17/836d2ad4-3ce4-11e8-a7d1-e4efec6389f0_story.html?utm_term=.32747e46344d
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dieg0
When talking about Neruda's life, don't leave out the fact he had a mentally
challenged daughter. He had her institutionalized to never visit again in her
entire life. He was a great poet, lived a lavish life, had many women and an
eccentric lifestyle. But he was no role model, in fact, he was far from it.

~~~
balladeer
I maybe wrong in this assumption but I think very few know about a rape[0], at
least that's what I think it was (from his memoir[1]), that he committed in
Sri Lanka (Ceylon back then). It was a native Tamil woman. Doesn't at all read
like a consensual act or an act of a transactional nature (which could be
considered consensual).

I loved his love poems and I think I would still like them (maybe) but for
some reason I don't think it's going to be the same after knowing about this
incident from his life. Maybe I need to work on separating the art from the
artist, if at all that can be a thing.

[0] [https://globalvoices.org/2015/10/05/portrait-of-nobel-
litera...](https://globalvoices.org/2015/10/05/portrait-of-nobel-literary-
prize-winner-pablo-neruda-sparks-debate-about-rape-culture-in-chile/)

[1] [http://tamilwoman.tumblr.com/post/79412843312/tw-rape-
pablo-...](http://tamilwoman.tumblr.com/post/79412843312/tw-rape-pablo-neruda-
a-glorified-rapist-of)

~~~
diN0bot
Nah, I don't think you _need_ to do anything but what you feel is just and
right. I personally enjoy my art in context. Same when I make a purchase or
cast a vote.

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partycoder
It is not clear if Neruda died from cancer as his death certificate indicates.
Most likely got killed by the regime because of his political affiliations.

~~~
dieg0
Wrong, he died from Cancer. Only in the past few years this conspiracy theory
surfaced. It is well known he was very ill way before the military coup. In
fact, the left wanted him to be the candidate instead of Salvador Allende, but
he didn't go for it, because he was involved in medical treatments.

This is just the left trying to rewrite history, and please don’t cite
journalists as sources. It is said that journalists have a bast amount of
information but an inch of depth on it.

~~~
partycoder
Wrong, forensic doctor Aurelio Luna, Director of the external service of
forensic science of University of Murcia found traces of a cultivated bacteria
in the exhumed body of Pablo Neruda. This is enough to raise suspicions about
his death.

Remember that assassinations in hospitals during this period were not
uncommon. It is also suspected that former Chilean president Eduardo Frei
Montalva was killed by the regime during a hospital stay.

~~~
dieg0
Only one forensic doctor backs those claims. Not enough for me, sorry.

~~~
partycoder
He spoke on behalf of team of doctors he represents.

Just concede the point. It is a known fact that the regime killed people for
much less and Neruda had already provoked them enough by then.

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sifusam
wapo typo: "Neruda’s funeral be came a spontaneous public demonstration of
defiance against the new regime."

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WhompingWindows
“Poetry is like bread, It should be shared by all, by scholars and by
peasants, by all our vast, incredible, extraordinary family of humanity.”

And yet, do the vast majority of humans actually read poetry? Perhaps they
access it tangentially in Bob Dylan or The Beatles, but more likely than not,
they're consuming Netflix or cable TV or much less high art than poetry. What
are the top most sold books on Kindle, for instance? So many are romance
novels, not Earthy, gritty, brilliant poetry like Neruda's.

~~~
InclinedPlane
You don't have to shit all over romance novels, "the kids the days", or
(through omission) music made in the last half-century to encourage people to
appreciate poetry more.

Incidentally, many forms of poetry are fairly popular these days. The Hamilton
musical is one of the most successful pop culture phenomena of our time. Tons
of artists like (recent Pulitzer Prize winner) Kendrick Lamar are shoving
poetry into the ears of millions of people constantly.

Edit: I'll put this here as an example, and since it's a cover it shows the
widespread enthusiasm that's out there for the material:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqGGmfDZsWU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqGGmfDZsWU)

~~~
waterpowder
You must be trolling. This is not poetry.

