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News & ArtsThursday, December 8, 2011
History / Books Did Pinochet Poison Pablo Neruda?
Posted by Brendan Kiley on Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 12:16 PM
They're going to dig up his body and find out:
The Communist Party in Chile has asked for the remains of the poet Pablo Neruda to be exhumed due to allegations that he may have been poisoned.
The Nobel laureate died in Santiago in September 1973, 12 days after the military coup that brought Gen Augusto Pinochet to power.
Mr Neruda's death certificate says he died of prostate cancer.
But his former driver said he received an injection which provoked a heart attack.
Irrelevant fact: Neruda wrote in green ink whenever possible (sample letter here) because he considered it a hopeful color.
3
Me vine aquí a contar las campanas
que viven en el mar,
que suenan en el mar,
dentro del mar.
Por eso vivo aquí.
que viven en el mar,
que suenan en el mar,
dentro del mar.
Por eso vivo aquí.
4
The view from Neruda's window over the city, the port and the sea, in Valparaiso, Chile. There's a place you could write poetry.
http://stayinvalparaiso.files.wordpress.…
I do so hope the results are negative. There's enough horror and tragedy from that time for one country to bear without this.
http://stayinvalparaiso.files.wordpress.…
I do so hope the results are negative. There's enough horror and tragedy from that time for one country to bear without this.
5
En ti se acumularon las guerras y los vuelos.
De ti alzaron las alas los pájaros del canto.
Todo te lo tragaste, como la lejanía.
Como el mar, como el tiempo. ¡Todo en ti fue naufragio!
De ti alzaron las alas los pájaros del canto.
Todo te lo tragaste, como la lejanía.
Como el mar, como el tiempo. ¡Todo en ti fue naufragio!
7
I always thought it was fishy.
@4 His house at Isla Negra is even more lovely in my opinion. & he also had a lovely place in Santiago with a pair of giant shoes next to the mini-bar: http://bit.ly/sBcAsL
@4 His house at Isla Negra is even more lovely in my opinion. & he also had a lovely place in Santiago with a pair of giant shoes next to the mini-bar: http://bit.ly/sBcAsL
8
I don’t think Neruda was poisoned. He was suffering from Prostate cancer for some time before he died. If Pinochet and the Chilean Army wanted to kill Neruda, it would had been easier to locked him, deprived him of his medicine, and his medical team treating him. They could also took him to places like Villa Grimaldi or Estadio Nacional.
Pinochet and his Junta were definitely thinking of banning Neruda’s works in Chile, but as a communist or not, Neruda was too popular to have his works banned.
Another reason why I don’t think Neruda was poisoned by the coup plotters, is that his funeral was pretty much the first use of the opposition to the coup to protest their outrage, even though his funeral was heavily curtailed by the Chilean military in Santiago. It would had been easier for coup plotters and military to hold Neruda until he died and then bargained with Matilde Urrutia for Neruda’s body for a very private burial...
If there is poison found, I would be surprise, but not shock. The regime tortured and broke the hands of Victor Jara before they murdered him.
Pinochet and his Junta were definitely thinking of banning Neruda’s works in Chile, but as a communist or not, Neruda was too popular to have his works banned.
Another reason why I don’t think Neruda was poisoned by the coup plotters, is that his funeral was pretty much the first use of the opposition to the coup to protest their outrage, even though his funeral was heavily curtailed by the Chilean military in Santiago. It would had been easier for coup plotters and military to hold Neruda until he died and then bargained with Matilde Urrutia for Neruda’s body for a very private burial...
If there is poison found, I would be surprise, but not shock. The regime tortured and broke the hands of Victor Jara before they murdered him.
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