Who was Pablo Neruda and what were some of his famous poems and works of literature?

Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poet and politician who is considered one of the most important and influential writers of the 20th century. He was born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto on July 12, 1904, in Parral, Chile, and took the pen name Pablo Neruda in memory of the Czechoslovak poet Jan Neruda.

Neruda began writing poetry at a young age, and his works are known for their surreal imagery and powerful emotional impact. He is most famous for his collection of love poems, Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, which was published in 1924 when he was just 19 years old. Other notable works include Residence on Earth, a collection of poems that deal with themes of political and social injustice, and Canto General, an epic poem that celebrates the people and natural beauty of Latin America.

In addition to his poetry, Neruda was also a politician and diplomat. He served as a senator for the Chilean Communist Party and was briefly forced into exile for his political beliefs. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971 and died just two years later on September 23, 1973, just days after a military coup overthrew the Chilean government.