Book 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

Customer Reviews (1)

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