Book of Twilight

Description

In Book of Twilight we meet a poet on the verge: Pablo Neruda–young, impassioned, vulnerable–poised to become one of the most beloved writers of our time. The precocious poet, then a teenager named Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, reportedly sold his father’s pocket watch to print the first copies of his debut book of poetry, one year before Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair placed Neruda on the world’s stage. In Book of Twilight the voice is recognizable, even in nascent form–wildly romantic, musical, and bold–yet these poems are distinctly and charmingly adolescent, fluctuating between formality and rebellion. Book of Twilight offers a rare window into the early workings of a great mind; readers are privy to a profound transformation: the poet’s becoming. Book of Twilight, originally titled Crepusculario, has never before been published in English in its entirety–the unveiling of this collection accompanies the thrilling discovery that became 2016’s Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda Poems. In William O’Daly’s lyrical translation, Pablo Neruda’s first book is a treasure restored to its rightful place in a grand legacy. Within this early work is an important, raw power–the trembling effort that heralds genius.