In Chile, Where Pablo Neruda Lived and Loved

I would like it if at least one of these people (and one or two did) stop waxing poetic about Neruda and actually tell us which houses are worth doing and which (if any) are not. I'm traveling to Chile soon, have one day to spend, have toured Neruda's house in Santiagp (which I loved and where I met a bunch of young astronomers on their day(s) off from Chile's great southern astronomy field) but would like to see one or both of the other two houses, but day tours typically give you only one. So stop waxing poetic folks, get over your revolutionary verve, and just tell us which houses are worthwhile!

Thank you Ms. Maynard for such a beautiful article about Pablo Neruda's houses. Your description is so vivid, it's like going back to those places.

Jorge Tagle
Consul General of Chile
Los Angeles

MUCHOS GRACIAS Joyce for this article! I coincidentally arrived in Santiago the day this was published and since i had no plans, I decided to visit La Chascona... what an amazing place! I share the same exact sentiments you expressed in your article :) I wrote a blog post about my excitement about Neruda: http://www.livingthedrea.com/new-blog/2015/12/23/fbw4dew59kfojeptptashdt...

Thanks once more for the share!

One of the few poetry books I own is "Todo el amor", containing my all-time favorite love poem is Poema #20, "Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche..."

And as a native lover, I appreciate Neruda's nature poetry such as "Las alturas de Macchu Picchu"; I even have a recording of Neruda reading it out loud.

But some poems are silly updates to 19th century Romanticismo, the fanciful stories of supposedly peaceful natives whose lives were ruined by the Spanish.

And even if the Spanish were worse than the English, the French or Portuguese (the Spanish were not; all the European powers were quite awful), what is the purpose of fancifying what would have happened if the conquest had not occurred 450 years later?

Generations of Latin American writers have spent their lives imagining fantastic mythological alternative histories while condemning Yankee positivism and pragmatism. But where did this get Latin America? Chile is one of the most positivist Yankee country on the planet.

In this article, the exploration of another layer underneath the passion for collecting, the lovely narrative, the pictures that inundate the senses, some caption of Neruda's supreme and sensual creativity, and the poet's romanticism and the romanticism sparkled in and by the author during her discovery of Neruda's houses, are a great antidote against focus and remembrance on the brutal horrors of the Pinochet's military regime, including the destruction of one of Neruda's houses due to his ideology and affiliation with a democratically elected socialist government.

It's a nice and reminded me of my visits to all three spots two years ago.

Neruda loved the ocean and it had been a determining factor in his purchase of his houses in Valparaiso and Isle Negra respectively. During my visit to Isle Negra as I stood next to Neruda and Matilda's burial site overlooking the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean, I could only think of Neruda's own line: "Here I came to the very edge where nothing at all needs saying."

As in life, so in death, Neruda wanted to be in the ocean's clutches.

Every time a tsunami hits the coast of Chile, I wonder if Isla Negra is still there. Ms Maynard's story was a wonderful tribute to the love people have shown Neruda by restoring and maintaining all of his houses.
There is another reason to include Pablo Neruda in the NYT travel section--his Memoirs document his travels in Europe and Asia as a penniless ambassador for Chile. Our neighbors to the south put their poets and writers to work even when they don't pay them for it...

gorgeous way to begin the day. thank you.

Compelling description of the poet's houses. Thank you Ms. Maynard. For another fully intact poet's house, visit Carl Sandberg's home and farm in Flat Rock, NC, near Asheville. The interior is exactly as it was, right down to newspapers on the tables, when Sandberg died.

I discovered poetry when I first heard Vittorio Gassman, the Italian actor, reciting Neruda's Poema 20. Hearing it rendered by an extraordinary actor touched me deeply. I translated it into English and recorded it with Gluck's Dance of the Blessed Spirits in the background.
My rendition did not come close to Gassman's, but I was profoundly moved as I read Poema 20. It is so true, so human, so filled with love and so sad. It is life itself.
As I read this piece I felt a knot in my throat and tears welled up om ,y eyes, once again. Thank you Neruda, thank you Joyce. You made my day.
Reading this piece brought all these feelings back to the surface. My eyes welled up with tears

Love the article and all of the comments! This shows the truly global reach of NYT. It's great to have such a reliable source of interesting information!

I don't think you can separate the man from the words and the words were imbued with the spirit that permeated his life. His poems, be they about love or oppressive governments, were embodiments of the man and how he lived and loved. It's not surprising that his houses, descriptions of which so beautifully shared in this article, are also alive with him and his passion for life.

Thanks, Joyce Maynard, for this tour de force.

I live in the vineyards near Isla Negra and recommend two great restaurants: While visiting Neruda s home, just beyond the museum is Rincon del Poeta, featuring some of the poet s favorite traditional dishes and wines. The ocean view from the terrace is beautiful.
And as Ms. Maynard suggests, it is certainly worth a stop at the vineyards of Casablanca which produce Chile' s notable white wines. The restaurant Casa Botha is one of the best kept secrets of the region....the food is amazing and the wine list endless.

Wow. What a story, and the photos are exquisite. Thank you NYT and Danielle Villasana and Joyce Maynard. You've made my Sunday.

Thanks for this lovely piece.
I have been in all three houses, La Chascona two or three times, and your article brought back pleasant memories.
I like Isla Negra the best. It is in a spectacular location by the sea.
When my parents were alive, we would visit them in Chile every few years and we would always visit one or more of Neruda's homes on every trip.

Hi, I happened to be reading the NY Times and found your article. I am Chilean and love Neruda. I like his houses very much. Thanks you for the article, so meaningful and interesting.

My spouse Rudolph was in Chile in 1981 and happened to stop by, with some progressive Chilean friends to stop at Isla Negra on his way out of Valparaiso.... This was at the height of the Pinochet regime... Isla Negra's gardener (Rudolph has a picture of him) allowed Rudolph and friends in the garden ... and they peeked thru the house windows... Rudolph recalls seeing many toilet sinks (with robinets) in many corner of the rooms he could see.. apparently, Mr Neruda collected sinks.... Rudolph remembers it as one of the most memorable moments of his (many) travels, waves crashing on the shore below the house, the wind in the pines trees surrounding the estate, the look of the gardener seeing a (maybe for a first time) a black man, the smell of the pine trees waffling.. ... I gave Rudolph a Christmas gilt of one of his poetry books in 2012....

I have been to the house in Valparaiso. Delightful, as is Valparaiso itself. A particularly enjoyable aspect of Valparaiso, among many, are the ascensores which I guess would be funiculars in English, in essence a tiny house on tracks that goes up and down the hillsides from the flat part of city on the bay. A mix of an outdoor escalator and elevator.

living meaningfully, living well, whatever your version may be, what it means to you....to be you, what you love, who you love.

Thank you for this, gorgeous writing. I'm planning a trip to Chile in September to find Neruda like yourself and this article is full on the information I need. Beautiful. Thank you.

An excellent piece. I was similarly inspired by these residences to write a piece for ABC Radio National here, called "Neruda's Houses". The houses are poetry!

I recently visited La Chascona and Isla Negra. They are truly extraordinary - among the highlights of any visit to Chile in my opinion. And that's an opinion shared by my two 20-something offspring who came along, including a daughter studying in Chile.

It's hard to attach a single word to these houses - wonderful, supremely artistic and deeply interesting come to mind.

It says, “La Sebastiana, in Valparaíso, bought in 1959 from the estate of an architect by Neruda and Matilde Urrutia now his third wife.” Matilda Urrutia, however, was then his third wife in 1959, not now. English is a splendid language for concepts, for writers who do not mind them. Give an article that tells about the person who lived, as does this engrossing article. Reserve language battles for articles about soldiers, politicians and language.

Nearly 20 years ago, while we were staying in an hospedaje in Puerto Montt, Chile, waiting for the Navimag freighter to Puerto Natales, we met a single woman from Virginia, a retired librarian and educator. She had visited Neruda's homes, and was following Neruda's route through Chile and Argentina as he eluded Chilean authorities and went into exile. This was her 4th or 5th trip to Chile and Argentina, and was doing her research before taking small groups of women (only) on a rough and ready two week Neruda and Chile tour.

Happy joyous and wonder filled holidays and holidays to you, Joyce Maynard and Danielle Villasana, I do not want to finish reading what you have written and presented. Many years ago when I was an undergraduate, Pablo Neruda was required reading and it was then that I fell in love with him and his poetry. It just so happens that I am editing a short story about where Neruda, that I have written, the romance of his poetry features prominently and my exaggerated love for him. Because of the editing, Pablo Neruda has been on my mind a great deal in recent times. I treasure this reading and all the wonderful and beautiful photographs, I never would have otherwise seen, and I am so very grateful for this experience. And, it feels like an experience: your travel story, the photos, the poems and the beautiful writing have arrived on my desktop like a treasure from out of the sea, all the way from Chile, thanks to you. From the bottom of my heart, please accept my gratitude and thanks for this. I will have to finish reading your feature, but it will always stay with me. Thank you for the trip of a lifetime you took and for your generosity in sharing it will all of us who love Neruda! Happy holidays to you and your.

I cried seeing these photos and reading this feature. I am very grateful to you, Joyce Maynard for all this wonderful information about my favorite poet in all the world. The New York Times always proves itself the finest newspaper in the world, especially when it features articles like this. If only I could tell you just how much this means to me, but I do not think that is possible. Instead, please accept my heartfelt thanks. The best of happy holidays to you and yours. Thank you!