The Chilean Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was probably the greatest and certainly the
most prolific of twentieth-century Latin American poets. He brought out his
first collection at the age of seventeen, and quickly developed an assured and
distinctive poetic voice. His third book, Veinte poemas de amor y una cancion
desesperada - 'twenty love poems and a song of despair' - was published in 1924
and attracted international acclaim. It remains one of the most celebrated and
admired books of erotic poetry published in the last hundred years, with over a
million copies sold worldwide. Neruda was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1971.