The Austin Chronicle
“The best introduction to Neruda available in English… few other books… have given me so much delight so easily.”

The Bloomsbury Review “The call for a more accessible collection of Neruda's important poems is answered with City Lights' The Essential Neruda, a 200-page edition that offers 50 of Neruda's key poems. The editors and translators know how to extract gold from a lifetime of prolific writing. If you want a handy Neruda companion and don't know where to begin, this is it.”
“What better way to celebrate the hundred years of Neruda's glorious residence on our earth than this selection of crucial works - in both languages! - by one of the greatest poets of all time. A splendid way to begin a love affair with our Pablo or, having already succumbed to his infinite charms, revisit him passionately again and again and yet again.” - Ariel Dorfman

What People Are Saying

This is a wonderful collaboration of several remarkable translators and showcases Neruda’s depth and span. It contains pieces on love, politics, and the dark and light of life. There are quite a few I have never seen offering insight into the mind and heart of this Nobel Laureate. As always, Neruda’s work is magical and stunning. I definitely recommend this bilingual edition for those who have never experienced Neruda or those looking for more!