Neruda: Canonization and countercanonization

Abstract

In this paper I analyze the opinion of writers of influence in the literary world who have contributed to Pablo Neruda 's canonization and countercanonization. I will discuss the judgment of the canonizing critics Alone and Ignacio Valente and writers Gabriela Mistral, José Donoso and Isabel Allende. Among the countercanonizers, I will bring to bear the critical poems of Pablo de Rokha and Nicanor Parra, which propose an ambiguous rejection of aspects of Neruda's life and work while at the same time contributing to his public positioning. I also consider Hernán Valdés' observations.