Of all Latin American poets, Pablo Neruda is arguably the most recognized in the English-speaking world. But while the image of Neruda most frequently produced in this country is the apolitical, romantic poet of 20 Poemas de Amor, the highly political Neruda who wrote Canto general is much less visible.
In this compelling collection, Teresa Longo gathers a diverse group of critical and poetic voices to analyse the politics of packaging and marketing Neruda - and Latin American poetry in general - in the USA. Renowned and emerging scholars of Neruda, poetry, and cultural criticism examine how the ways in which Neruda is published and read create and make essential images of Latin American culture. The volume also explores the ways in which Neruda is appropriated by the culture as a remedy for fragmentation and scepticism, and considers how American Latino/a poets and critics have responded to the packaging of Neruda by the culture industry.