Tellings of telling: revelations, allusions, evocations
A Journey Inside Pablo Neruda's đ´đ˘Ěđ
Left: Cover of the first edition of AĂşn, Right: Brindis or Toast
Between July 5th and 6th of 1969, Pablo Neruda sat down at his desk in his house in Isla Negra, Chile, and he began to write a 28-poem book titled AĂşn. Neruda wrote over 400 verses to commemorate his 65th birthday. This literary work is a journey, not just for Neruda but for the readers as well. He takes the readers from his house in Isla Negra to AraucanĂa to show and illustrate the critical points of his life. Neruda's first poem talks about the longest day where the Earth is furthest from the sun or the aphelion. More significantly, that day, in Isla Negra, seemed to Neruda the furthest from his hometown of Temuco. â
Neruda, although quite spontaneous with his writing, still manages to establish and maintain a structure and organization for his poems. As for AĂşn, the first five poems focus on the history and development of Chile, as well as the Mapuche, the Indigenous people of Chile. Poem VI serves as a transition from Chilean history to Nerudaâs personal and private life. From poems VII to XII, Neruda invokes geographical locations in Chile, such as towns and volcanoes. Poem XIII is another connecting poem. Poems XIV through XXII regard Neruda's public life, his expeditions throughout the world, and his perception of life. The last six poems are to bid farewell and to thank the readers for reading AĂşn. â
For this Story Map, we will explore select parts of AĂşn that are representative of the book's entirety and Neruda's passion for Chilean geography.
To complete the journey inside AĂşn, we strongly encourage you to read the book and refer to the additional resources found at the end.
Casa de Isla Negra (XXIII)
Casa de Isla Negra (XXIII). Click to expand.
We begin our journey through Pablo Neruda's AĂşn in the place he wrote the poem: Casa de Isla Negra. Neruda was beginning to write another famous literary work Canto general, and he desired a place to write it in. He bought the house from an old, socialist Spanish sea captain, Eladio Sobrino, who was building it for his family. Towards the end of 1939, Neruda was finally able to purchase the house. â
AraucanĂa Region (II, III, V)
AraucanĂa Region (II, III, V). Click to expand.
Much of the poem is set in the Chilean region of AraucanĂa, situated between the 37Âş south latitude and the 39Âş south latitude. Its capital happens to be Neruda's hometown of Temuco. The region is known for its many volcanoesââlike the Tolguaca, Lonquimay(Poem III), and the Llaima (Poem XII)ââand its mountainous terrain shared with the Argentine-Chilean border to the east. The region continues to be inhabited by diverse groups of indigenous peoples like the Mapuche who have battled colonization by Spaniards and later the Chilean army in the "Pacification of AraucanĂa" from 1861 to 1883.
Transition (VI)
Transition (VI). Click to expand.
In Poem VI, Neruda conveys the centrality of tierra or Earth not only to himself but to all of humanity. In this poem, he talks about how the land grows in your blood, and if it were to go out in your blood, then you would experience the same fate.
Yumbel (VII)
Yumbel (VII). Click to expand.
Starting off with the first city in AraucanĂa Neruda mentions, Yumbel is situated at the 37Âş south latitude and 72Âş west longitude, about 442km southwest of Santiago de Chile. The city was founded in 1585 by Alonso de Sotomayor in the fort of San Felipe de Austria. The name comes from the Mapuche language, Mapudungun; um meaning aurora and pel meaning light. Yumbel means "light of aurora." Yumbelâs herrerĂas, mentioned at the end of the poem, forged Chilean soldiers' weapons, using picas and lanzas instead of traditional swords. With this came a development of artisanal work in Yumbel. As Chile lengthened its territory, it expanded education in arts and crafts for the new territiories.
Temuco (IX)
Temuco (IX). Click to expand.
Temuco is Neruda's hometown and where he spent 15 years (1906 - 1921). It is located about 700 kilometers south of Santiago de Chile at 38Âş south latitude and 72Âş west longitude. It was founded in 1881 by General Gregorio Urrutia, serving as a frontier to maintain peace between the colonizers and the Mapuche during the "Pacification of the AraucanĂa".
Llaima Volcano (XII)
Llaima Volcano (XII). Click to expand.
Chile is situated on what is known was the Ring of Fire, where over 40 volcanoes are present along its interior. Throughout the book, Neruda alludes to various volcanoes like Lonquimay and Osorno. One volcanoââLlaimaââis indirectly referenced to in Poem XII, calling it "cold tower of the world, / volcano, snow finger / that followed me through all of existence:." VolcĂĄn Llaima is the closest volcano to Neruda's hometown of Temuco, last erupting in 2008.
Parral (XIX)
Parral (XIX). Click to expand.
Founded in 1795 by the Viceroy of PerĂş, Ambrosio O'Higgings, Parral is Neruda's birthtown and where his grandparents first settled in Chile. It is located about 319km south of Santiago de Chile and about 296km north of Temuco. Although not dedicating an entire poem to Parral, Neruda references his birthtown in Poem XIX dedicated to his grandfather JosĂŠ Ăngel Reyes who lived 102 years. Neruda's family moved to Temuco in 1906 two years after the death of his mother, Rosa NeftalĂ Basoalto Opazo, in early August of 1904âa month after Neruda's birth.
Antofagasta (XXII)
Antofagasta (XXII). Click to expand.
Antofagasta is a region, province, and city in Northern Chile. It is the second largest region in Chile, spanning between the 20Âş south latitude and 26Âş south latitude. During the War of the Pacific, Chilean forces occupied the region for 5 years until Bolivia ceded it in 1884. The region is home to the world's driest desert, Atacama; the desert seldom receives rainfall throughout the year.