To Go Singing Through the World: The Childhood of Pablo Neruda

About this book

Pablo Neruda grew up in the rough and wild frontier town of Temuco Chile. His father was a railroad man and not inclined to draw out the introspective boy. However his stepmother descended from the Mapuche people was gentle and nurturing and told him stories of Chiles native people. But in her husbands presence she was as silent as Pablo. So the child found refuge in nature and in books. And secretly he wrote down his thoughts. With the encouragement of Gabriela Mistral an award-winning poet teacher and friend Nerudas writing grew resonant and powerful. At age sixteen he left Temuco for the university in Santiago and went on to become the "peoples poet" and to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Blending her telling of Nerudas childhood with excerpts from his own poetry and prose Ms. Ray captures the people and places that inspired him in her rich watercolor illustrations.