Winter Garden

Pablo Neruda, William O’Daly, trans.

Facing the possibility of death from cancer, Neruda wrote some of his most direct and passionate lines of poetry in Winter Garden, and this translation—the first time these poems appeared in English—was cited by Bloomsbury Review as one of the “most valuable Neruda books we have today.” In this lyrical suite, the poet meditates on death, embraces solitude, and returns to nature as a source of regeneration.
 
Esta traducción completa a inglés del
Jardín de invierno de Pablo Neruda aparece como una edición bilingüe por el traductor notable, William O’Daly. O’Daly escribe en la introducción, “Neruda no escribió un libro más directo y más apasionado en su lenguaje”. Como sugiere el título, Neruda vuelve a la naturaleza como una fuente de regeneración y embraza la soledad como una fuerza positiva. Entre esta soledad y la voz pública de Neruda (renuentemente, él se hizo el embajador de Chile a Francia en 1971), entre las realidades políticas y las experiencias personales, Neruda aborda su propio sentido de responsabilidades en una suite de poemas unificadas y líricas.

ISBN: 9781556591679

Format: Paperback

About the Author

Pablo Neruda was born Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto in Parral, Chile, in 1904. He served as consul in Burma (Myanmar) and held diplomatic posts in various East Asian and European countries. In 1945, a few years after he joined the Communist Party, Neruda was elected to the Chilean Senate. Shortly thereafter, when Chile’s political climate took a sudden turn to the right, Neruda fled to Mexico and lived as an exile for several years. He later established a permanent home …

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About the Translator

William O’Daly has translated eight books of the late-career and posthumous poetry of Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda and most recently Neruda’s first volume, Book of Twilight—a finalist for the 2018 Northern California Book Award in Translation—all published by Copper Canyon Press. O’Daly’s chapbooks of poems include The Whale in the Web, also published by Copper Canyon, The Road to Isla Negra, Water Ways (a collaboration with JS Graustein), and Yarrow and Smoke, the latter three published by Folded Word …

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Reviews

“Elegantly timeless and fresh… O’Daly has made a noble effort to retain both the literal sense of the poet’s words and his awe-inspiring tone.” —Publishers Weekly

“O’Daly transforms the pain of Neruda’s final days in these fine, hypnotic translations, which stand alongside Alastair Reid’s translation of Residence on Earth. These are the two most valuable Neruda books we have today.” —Bloomsbury Review

“Here, as in much of Neruda’s poetry, the personal and the political collide, driven by his overriding concern: how does one person—a writer—change the world? His poems always plumb the unfathomable ambiguities of life, surfacing, finally, with a kind of balanced appreciation for the knowable as well as the mysterious.” —Library Journal

“Taken in sum… these books [The Separate Rose, Still Another Day and Winter Garden] are a legacy of buoyancy for the spirit; words that not only enrich and uplift, but ennoble; important art for a world too often compelled to contemplate mud and shoetops… Set yourself the delirious, the heady task of soaring with one of the great souls this century has produced… Treat yourself to Neruda. It’s for your own good.” —Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

“In addition to the original poems and the solemn, emotive translations, [this] edition offers a brief, but insightful introduction. Winter Garden admits English language readers to the profound imagery of Neruda’s poetry and serves as a useful reference for devotees of Latin American poetry.” —Small Press

“Self-reflective and broad… [these poems] capture Neruda’s humanity while reminding us also of his deep social conscience.” —Virginia Quarterly Review

“Given his impending death, late in life, it’s easy to see how pained Neruda was. This collection features many personal thoughts, among them his eager wish not to be praised or to receive accolades in his late days. He wants to watch water through windows and see the sunrise. He’s gracious and brave.” —The Black Sheep Dances