Visiting Pablo Neruda’s Homes in Chile
Frommers recently had a piece on Pablo Neruda's homes in Chile. They're definitely worth visiting if you're in the country.
Pablo Neruda won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.
"Pablo Neruda" is a pen name; his real name was Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. And in addition to being a poet, he was a diplomat for Chile and a dissident. He was eventually forced to leave Chile and live in exile.
Pablo Neruda had three homes in Chile: La Chascona in Santiago, La Sebastiana in Valparaiso and Isla Negra in Isla Negra.
None of the houses are what could be considered fancy, but all of them are decorated in a fanciful way – filled with eccentric collectibles, mismatched furnishings, and memorabilia of importance to Neruda. Each house has a large photo of Walt Whitman; a shrine to the man Neruda called his "poetic father." And they all have the ubiquitous bar. The houses have a nautical theme décor but Neruda was the captain of the wet bar, pouring out libations for all his frequent guests.
If you have an interest in the poet, a visit to the homes gives you an insight intot his life.
© blmurch
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:57 am
Wonderful view! Pablo Neruda is one of my favorite poets!
September 15th, 2009 at 5:40 am
I came to know that Neruda’s pen name was derived from Czech writer and poet Jan Neruda; Pablo is thought to be from Paul Verlaine. With his works translated into many languages, Pablo Neruda is considered one of the greatest and most influential poets of the 20th century.