Product Description

Product Description
The Canto General, thought by many of Nerudas most prominent critics to be the poets masterpiece, is the stunning epic of an entire continent and its people. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

One of the Greatest Books Of the 20th Centruy
How is there only one review for this? This is one of the greatest books of all-time. Neruda is one of my favorite poets and all of the reasons why are present in this text. I just learned that some people have a different impression of Neruda because they have only come across his more popular Odes and Twenty Love Songs and a Song of Despair. I like it all, but those are nowhere near the level of Canto General.

Canto General is an epic. I especially love the early passages about life on Earth before the conquistadors came. It's a complete historical account about the creation, the defilement and the restoration of the Americas. Neruda brings it all out full force in this book. I have read many passage out loud and have found myself actually winded from the unending power.

This translation is excellent. I can't compare it to others, but it's clean and seems to hit the mark really well. When reading it, I never question that it's anything but Neruda's voice. There is also a nice introduction. It also has a flap that can be used is a bookmark. It's very sturdy for a paperback.

Get this book. Each read opens new windows. Neruda is at the height of his powers here. There are wonderful passages, captivating sub-narratives, political revolts, and the poetry is unparalleled. It's actually hard to describe in words. When the mind is clear, it's some of the best poetry that there is.

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Can to, General
Amazon sent me the following:

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As I never received the book from the Marketplace seller I have not yet had a chance to read "Canto General" by Pablo Neruda. One would think that Amazon could keep up on such things....

A Masterpiece of Latin American Literature
If you must read only one book from the Modern Latin American Literature (and this certainly would be a great mistake, if not a crime), then it should be this one. Canto General is a single poem, and yet it is acollection of poems. It is a historical epic, a social analysis, apolitical pamphlet, and a love sonnet. It is a song of Love and a song ofRevolt, a personal song as well as a universal one; a song which whisperstenderly in your ear, and a song that screams against injustice with a loudforceful voice. It is Pablo Neruda's song and it is Chile's song, but it istruly America's song, North and South.

Written in Neruda's lyrical andmellifluous style, Canto General speaks with passion, lucidity, and evenpremonition of the heavy burden of social injustice and the brutality oftyrannical rule. But it also speaks with overflowing sensuality of love(for women, for the people, for his country). It would be unconscionablenot to absorb and understand this book in its social and historicalcontext, yet it would be a great mistake to view it uniquely as a politicalwork of expression.

Read it to understand the Americas. Read it to revelin the beauty of its language. Read it to feel proud and to feel ashamed,to laugh and to cry. Read it in English (good), in Spanish (much better),or even in French (why not?)

I first read Canto General in French at theage of 15. I may since have forgotten some of the words in this book, butits impact and its spirit will probably remain with me for the rest of mylife.... ... Read more

Product Description
The Canto General, thought by many of Neruda's most prominent critics to be the poet's masterpiece, is the stunning epic of an entire continent and its people. ... Read more

Product Description
official english edition. of the conclusions convened at Puebla, Mexico 220 pages ... Read more