Synopses & Reviews
Nobel Laureate
Pablo Nerudaexplored many schools of thought, poetic styles, and voices, but his passion lay in finding and improvising upon basic rhythms of perception to reveal unspoken and unspeakable truths. Copper Canyon Press has published seven volumes of Neruda's poetry. Six volumes were translated by William O'Daly and one volume of poems was translated by James Nolan.
These brief poems, composed entirely of unanswerable questions, reveal the Nobel Laureate's lifelong dedication to an inner structure of feeling and paradox that underlies experience.
"Exploiting the lag between perception and understanding, Neruda's poems evoke pictures that make sense on a visual level before the reader can grasp them on a literal one. The effect is mildly dazzlingO'Daly's translations achieve a tone that is both meditative and spontaneous."-Publishers Weekly
"The English versions of the poems are excellent and can easily be compared to the Spanish original."-Choice
Other titles by Pablo Neruda available from Consortium:
Ceremonial Songs(Latin American Literary Review Press), 0-935480-80-3 PB
Neruda at Isla Negra(White Pine Press), 1-877727-83-0 PB
Neruda's Garden(Latin American Literary Review Press), 0-935480-68-4 PB
The Sea and the Bells(Copper Canyon Press), 1-55659-019-9 PB
The Separate Rose(Copper Canyon Press), 0-914742-88-4 PB
Still Another Day(Copper Canyon Press), 0-914742-77-9 PB
Stones of the Sky(Copper Canyon Press), 1-55659-007-5 PB 1-55659-006-7 HC
Windows That Open Inward(White Pine Press), 1-877727-89-X PB
Winter Garden, (Copper Canyon Press), 0-914742-93-0 PB 0-914742-99-X HC
Yellow Heart, (Copper Canyon Press), 1-55659-029-6 PB
Synopsis
Brief poems by the Nobel Prize-winner, composed entirely of unanswerable questions not unlike Zen koans, challenge the reader's perceptions of the common objects of the world. Completed only months before his death in 1973, Pablo Neruda's The Book of Questions is the seventh and concluding volume in the Copper Canyon Press Neruda series. Bilingual edition.
About the Author
Pablo Neruda (1904-1973)held diplomatic posts in Asian and European countries. After joining the Communist Party, Neruda was elected to the Chilean Senate but was forced to live in exile in Mexico for several years. Eventually he established a permanent home on Isla Negra. In 1970 he was appointed as Chile's ambassador to France; in 1971 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.