The Santiago
Times
http://www.santiagotimes.cl/
Chilean poet Pablo Neruda remembered on his 109th birthday
http://www.santiagotimes.cl/culture/arts/26455-chilean-poet-pablo-neruda-remembered-on-his-109th-birthday
Poet, politician and possibly murdered: The Santiago Times
revisits Pablo Neruda’s life on the day of his birth.
Pablo Neruda, born July 12 1904 as Neftali Ricardo Reyes
Basoalto, would have celebrated his 109th birthday Friday.
One of the most well-known poets of the 20th century, Neruda
started writing as a teenager. He wrote in a range of styles and on varying subjects,
from the epic to the everyday, from politics to eroticism.
Yet, while his writing garnered international acclaim,
including a Nobel Prize, in Chile Neruda is remembered for more than just
poetry. His work as a diplomat and his contributions to Chilean politics and
social commentary were equally impactful.
Neruda’s devotion to Marxism and defiance of the military
junta which took power in a coup d’etat on Sept. 11, 1973 ensure that he is
both lauded and derided by Chileans on either extreme of the political
spectrum.
This political influence has contemporary resonance. His
later work encouraged active participation in social change — a mindset
relevant to present day Chile,
a country rife with calls for reform.
Neruda’s works are widely studied throughout Chile
— many reputable Chilean universities offer courses involving his work,
recognizing him as one of the most respected figures ever to come from the
country.
The poet
Although much of his poetry was political, he was also a
great writer of romantic love poems. These were often written in green,
Neruda’s personal symbol for hope and desire, and were inspired by his mistress
and eventual wife Matilde Urrutia, with whom he often stayed in Santiago.
The Santiago
home that he shared with this lover is named La Chascona, in her honor, a word
derived from the Andean language Quechua, describing Urrutia’s curly hair.
La Chascona sits at the foot of Cerro San Cristóbal in the
Barrio Bellavista district of Santiago, and serves as a time capsule for
Neruda’s life. Hidden behind an unassuming exterior, its quirky décor reflects
Neruda’s passion for the sea and mania for hoarding.
The eclectic mix of styles with which he wrote his poetry is
reflected in the way he lived — relics ranging from India,
Europe and other parts of Latin America sit
alongside portraits, landscapes and surrealist art. A secret room is hidden
behind a cupboard, where Neruda spied on his guests while they ate, so that he
could hear what they really thought of him. On the other side of the cupboard,
salt and pepper pots held marijuana and morphine.
A portrait of a deliberately unattractive woman hangs on the
wall of his library, directly in front of his reading chair, so that every time
he looked up from the page he could not get distracted and was reminded of his
craft instead.
The politician
La Chascona illustrates not only Neruda’s life as a poet,
but also as a politician and political figure — many rooms had to be restored
following extensive damage during Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s military coup of
1973.
Neruda served as senator for the Chilean Communist Party
before it was outlawed in 1948, when the president at the time, González
Videla, issued arrest warrants for many high-profile communists, forcing Neruda
into hiding in his house La Sebastiana in Valparaíso, before a stint in exile
in Argentina.
It was only many years later that Neruda was able to return,
as a political advisor, and later close friend, to Salvador Allende, the
then-president of the Socialist Party (PS).
When Allende became Chile’s
president in 1970, he appointed Neruda
as diplomat to France.
Neruda moved to Paris and began to renegotiate
the nation’s debts to Europe, however within a few months, his health rapidly
deteriorated, necessitating his return to Chile.
in 1971, during his time in Paris, Neruda was awarded a Nobel Prize for
Literature, despite some desiring to withhold the prize from him due to his
support of Stalin’s dictatorship.
Following his acceptance of the Nobel Prize, Neruda
continued his creative outlet of poetry while in his position as a political
advisor, something which Allende admired so greatly that he gave Neruda the
opportunity to read to crowds of over 70,000 people when he returned from his
duties in Paris.
The possible murder case
Shortly after this success, Neruda was diagnosed with
prostate cancer. This devastating revelation was only one of many for Neruda in
quick succession — in 1973 a military coup would shatter his dream of a Marxist
Chile.
On Sept. 23 that year, Neruda died in hospital. Official
records state that he died from prostate cancer, though the occurrence of his
death, so soon after the coup, raised suspicions that Chile’s new
military rulers ordered the poet killed.
An investigation was opened into Neruda’s death following
claims by close friend and driver, Manuel Araya, and the poet’s body was
exhumed in April this year. His remains are currently being analysed in Chile, with samples also being examined in United States and Spain.
However, Urrutia, who was widowed as Neruda’s third wife,
believed neither that he had been murdered nor that he had died of cancer.
Instead, she claimed until her death two years later, that Neruda had died from
“heartbreak” that he would never see Chile under Marxist rule.
By Hannah Stone (hannah@santiagotimes.cl)
Copyright 2013 - The Santiago
Times
Color and ceremony as Chile celebrates its patron saint
http://www.santiagotimes.cl/culture/events/26452-color-and-ceremony-as-chile-celebrates-its-patron-saint-
Virgin of Carmel celebrations kick off this weekend in Santiago ahead of La
Fiesta la Tirana next week in the Atacama.
Vivid costumes, frenetic dancers and religious pomp are
expected this weekend in Santiago
as the country worships its patron saint: Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
In the capital, celebrations commence Saturday at the
Santuario Nacional de Maipú at 10 a.m. and will continue until mid-afternoon.
The day precedes La Fiesta de la Tirana, the biggest
religious festival in Chile
devoted to the Virgin, which will take place in La Tirana in the Atacama Region
on Tuesday.
Just as in La Tirana, brightly coloured costumes are
expected to light up the celebrations, with religious dances and processions
through the streets of Maipú taking place throughout the afternoon and into the
evening.
Alongside the processions and the tributes to Our Lady of
Mount Carmel — the title given to the
Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite order — prayers and religious services will take
place all day.
The honouring of the Virgin will continue late into the
night with musical tributes from a variety of special guest Chilean musicians
from around the country beginning 8 p.m.
The Santuario Nacional, also called Templo Votivo de Maipú,
is approximately 45 minutes from the city centre, near the Plaza Maipú metro
station. Entrance is free.
For more information on the celebrations, visit the
Santuario Nacional de Maipú’s web page.
By Hannah Stone (hannah@santiagotimes.cl)
Copyright 2013 - The Santiago
Times
Fiesta de La Tirana
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiesta_de_La_Tirana
Fiesta de la Tirana is an annual festival held in the
locality of La Tirana in Tarapacá Region of northern Chile. The celebration takes place
on July 16 in honor of Virgen del Carmen. La Tirana is the biggest
geographically localized religious festivity in Chile and attracts between 200,000
and 250,000 visitors during the week of celebrations, while the villages
population is normally of 560 inhabitants.
photos
http://www.google.hr/search?q=la+fiesta+de+la+tirana+is&client=opera&hs=Wea&channel=suggest&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=sK3qUd_uM4qr4ATTsICYBA&ved=0CDoQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=651
Fiesta de La Tirana
http://traditionscustoms.com/festivals/fiesta-de-la-tirana