Culture Thursday: Pablo Neruda

It's not often that a poet, major or not, features as a major character in an award-winning film. And yet Pablo Neruda is that poet.

I watched Il postino as a very young buck. To say that it moved me would be an understatement. In it, Neruda is living in Italy, during one of his many exiles from Chile. He acts as mentor to the titular postman. He opens his eyes to love, politics, and life. That is all I'll say about the film. If you haven't watched it, get it from your local library. If you have watched it, watch it again.

Of course, Neruda's poetry features prominently in the film. And it is where I fell in love with him. I once gave a Spanish collection of his poetry to my mother one Christmas. She was scandalized! 

"¿Porque me distes un libro comunista?"

"Porque sus poemas no son comunistas. Son de Dios."

("Why did you give me this communist book?" "Because his poems aren't communist. They're of God.")

I fell in love with Neruda because of that film. And as a break from the world's roil, I offer his poetry for today.

Gathering these videos, I found many which were AI-voiced. AI has its uses—as in ferreting out the identities of masked thugs working for our current regime. But not poetry. Poetry is the epitome of humanness. Robots have no place in it.

Enjoy, bask, and learn.