Pablo Neruda (Parral, Chile, 1904 - Santiago de Chile,
Chile, 1973), whose real name was Neftalí Reyes Basoalto, is
undoubtedly one of the pinnacles of world poetry of the last
century. Famous from a very young age, he lived in Santiago from
1920 to 1927, years in which he wrote, among others, the collection
of poems "Twenty love poems and a Song of Despair," which has
perhaps gained widest popularity of all his work and marks the
moment when he first achieves his full powers as a Spanish-language
poet. Neruda traveled extensively and and served as Chile's
ambassador to several countries, including Burma, France, and
Argentina. He was a prominent political activist, member of the
Communist Party, and a militant intellectual. Endowed with
incomparable verbal power, he also founded a revolutionary
conception of poetry. His literary career is one of the main
expressive adventures of the lyric in the Spanish language. In
awarding him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971, the Swedish
Academy described him as a poet "who brings to life the destinies
and dreams of an entire continent." Neruda was also awarded the
International Peace Prize.
Born in Chile in 1978, Paloma Valdivia studied design at the
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and studied Creative
Illustration at the Eina School of Art and Design in Barcelona,
Spain. Her main passion is illustrated books for children. Her book
have been translated into 12 languages. As a teacher, she directs
the degree program in "Illustration and Autobiographical Narrative"
at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She lives in
Santiago with her family.
A New York Times Best Children's Book of 2022A Marginalian
(formerly Brain Pickings) Favorite Book of 2022A New York Times
Bestseller!A USBBY Outstanding International Book of 2023A 2023
Bologna Ragazzi Award Amazing Bookshelf SelectionSelected for the
Academy of American Poets 2022 Featured Fall Books List for Young
Readers“This work... brings together 74 poems shaped around
mysterious, playful, frequently metaphysical questions about
nature, constellations, memory, numbers, oceans, the interior life
of the mind. Not one of the questions contained in this book
resolves an issue of fact. These questions raise other questions.
They suggest ideas... It’s good news that Neruda’s question poems
(39 of the original 74) have been freshly translated into English
by Sara Lissa Paulson and presented for the first time in picture
book form, with stylized, dreamlike illustrations by the Chilean
artist Paloma Valdivia—English on one side of the page, Spanish on
the other... This is a physically beautiful book. Neruda likely
would have approved of the way Valdivia has made his dream world
real.”
*The New York Times*
“Compiled throughout his life and published a year after his death
in 1973, Neruda's thoughtful and playful questions are well known
in Latin American literature. Now, a new bilingual, illustrated
selection of Neruda's questions has been published by Enchanted
Lion Books, giving anglophone readers—and especially children—an
opportunity to interrogate the world along with the Chilean poet…
The new edition is meant for everyone in the family. The book is
large and contains playful fold-out pages and whimsical
illustrations that help bring readers into the imaginative world of
the questions… In illustrating these questions, Valdivia didn't
want to hint at any answers. In fact, part of the magic of Neruda's
questions is not that the reader finds an answer but rather finds
even more questions.“
*NPR*
“Book of Questions now comes alive in a stunning bilingual
picture-book, illustrated by Chilean artist Paloma Valdivia. Given
Valdivia’s roots and her personal resonance with Neruda, many of
the illustrated questions are chosen for and filtered through the
lens of landscape and its ecosystems. Of Neruda’s original
questions—each of them unanswerable, all of them worth asking,
crackling with some vital spark of playfulness or poignancy—seventy
come ablaze amid the vibrant illustrations and fold-out delights,
radiant with the colors and textures of Latin American tapestry.
Out of the totality arises a larger sense of reckoning—a person of
uncommon soulfulness and sensitivity to the subterranean strata of
life, approaching the end of his days with a cascade of curiosity,
singing the ultimate question: What is all this?"
*The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings)*
STARRED REVIEW! ? “Blues and reds and yellows weave in and out of
words trailing one after another, poking and prodding the universe
for answers to millennia-old questions. Sixty of the original 316
questions penned by the inimitable Chilean poet Pablo Neruda perch
on vibrant landscapes solo, in pairs, or in trilling triplets. Each
rumination is compelling in its whimsy, yet profound in its
simplicity. Just as a wish cast onto the heavens returns with a
treasure, so too do the thoughts of the poet. The answers, like the
questions, dwell in infinity. Both the original Spanish and
Paulson’s English translation mirror the poignancy echoing from one
tongue to the next. Her translations sustain the lyricism of
Neruda’s dreamscapes. Valdivia’s stylized illustrations are
striking and a perfect counterpoint to this wondrous collection of
ethereal literary images. A lovely exploration of diversity,
language, and culture, and a splendid introduction to Neruda’s
works for the very young.”
*School Library Journal*
STARRED REVIEW! ? “Selections from Neruda’s final work come
magically to life with inventive illustrations in this bilingual
volume… Readers will be enchanted by their mind-expanding whimsy
and creativity. Chilean artist Valdivia’s stylized artwork,
executed predominantly in blues, reds, and yellows against black or
white backgrounds, feels grounded in folk-art traditions. Created
with pencil and ink, with photographs in the illustrator’s note
showing the work in progress, the full-page art is visually
captivating and enhanced with texture—lines, splatters,
blotting—both complementing and extending the text. ‘Does the earth
chirp like a cricket / in the symphony of the skies? // Who shouted
for joy / when the color blue was born?’ is accompanied by a
charcoal cricket standing against a dizzying swoop of blue expanse
and the curve of rising mountains and vegetation… Exquisite
endpapers pay tribute to the universe contained within. A gorgeous
work that stretches the imagination and delights the senses.”
*Kirkus Reviews*
STARRED REVIEW! ? "This lavish volume includes excerpts from
Neruda’s Libro de las preguntas in the original Spanish alongside
new English translations by Paulson. Valdivia’s expansive
illustrations give readers plenty of space to dwell on each
question. The questions themselves, mostly arranged as couplets,
have no answers and often imaginative premises: 'Who shouted for
joy / when the color blue was born?' 'Where can you find a bell /
that rings inside your dreams?' Frequent gatefolds function as
transitions between related illustrations or as pauses between
related questions. Back matter includes notes about the source
material and its meaning from the illustrator, editor, and
translator. Endlessly perusable—as long as you have the elbow
room—the book is perfectly pitched to encourage students to write
their own question poems."
*The Horn Book*
STARRED REVIEW! ? “Intriguing questions with no answers make up
this oversize dual-language volume by two Chilean creators,
featuring Neruda’s sophisticated musings. Paulson’s translations of
the poet’s lines are sometimes playful—'When I look once more at
the sea, / does the sea see me or not see me?'—and often beautiful:
'So, how do roots know / they must rise up to the light // And
later greet the air with crowds of colorful flowers?' Employing a
black, green, red, and yellow palette, Valdivia’s artwork feels as
dark and mysterious as Neruda’s questions. Elegantly designed with
many bonus gatefolds, the pages include humorous inquiries such as,
'Why, when expecting snow, / do trees take off their clothes?' and
close with a final provocative one: 'Might I ask my book / if I’m
the one who really wrote it?' ... This unusual collection will
speak to thoughtful young readers who appreciate enigmas.”
*Publishers Weekly*
“If I were asked to describe the book in one word, it’d be wonder.
It’s utterly wonder-filled. These questions marvel at the mystery
of our world…Valdivia’s highly textured illustrations are
mesmerizing dreamscapes in teals, vermilions, and yellows. They
play with scale and perspective in visually rich ways. And the
book’s thoughtful design includes more than one gatefold and
endless visual surprises. It’s a book that young thinkers—deep
thinkers—will savor. It’s a book that demands time in the best way.
It yields big rewards for readers who linger, taking in the wonder
and curiosity of it all.”
*Seven Impossible Things*
Neruda’s Questions plumbs the depths of imagination, existence,
earth and its life with a curiosity that is free-ranging and
mind-expanding. 'Which is more difficult, to sprout or to reap?'
'How many questions are in a cat?' There’s much for any age to
ponder in this lavishly illustrated English/Spanish anthology that
relishes questions with uncertain answers.
*Toronto Star*
“If you are looking for some unconventional questions to pose to a
child in your life, consider the new picture book adaptation of
Pablo Neruda’s Book of Questions. This illustrated volume features
selections from the esteemed Chilean poet’s series of 316 questions
with no set answers, but with a universe of possible responses.
Translated by Sara Lissa Paulson, this oversize book is bilingual,
presenting Neruda’s questions in both English and Spanish. All of
Neruda’s questions are brief, and no more than three to four are
presented on any page. This makes the book approachable, allowing
the reader to ponder a few questions at a time. The full page
illustrations by Chilean-born Paloma Valdivia borrow inspiration
from plants, animals, even outer space. Some illustrations open out
to even larger panels, adding to the book’s wonder and surprise.
The Book of Questions/Libro de las preguntas would be a beautiful
gift volume for a bilingual family, or for a child who loves to ask
questions. It would also be appreciated by any fan of Neruda’s
poetry. Because picture books are for everyone, this book would
easily fit in a secondary or university classroom, whether
discussing poetry, creative writing, or even philosophy. Picture
books are more than what they seem, as are children’s questions.
Both can reveal truths to us, if we are only willing to see.”
*World Kid Lit*
39 of the 74 poems [of Book of Questions] are represented in this
version, all present in vastness, open-endedness, and immense
creativity... The illustrations support the atmosphere of the
wondrous questions, housed on large pages with dark colors. Book of
Questions brings Neruda's genius to a whole new generation of
readers who may never have heard of Neruda otherwise. And the best
part of this edition is how it includes the original lines in
Spanish alongside the English text, paying homage to Neruda's work
in its full package.
*Outside In World*
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