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Summary: Modern love poems
Review: Of course, these poems are best when read in their original language, as with all poetry. But I think Neruda is translatable, as much as a poet can be. It is easy to see why these poems appeal to all, or almost all, people who read them. They go directly to our feelings, as we all have some very special people in our past to relate them to (and people who don't have anyone to remember have certainly lived miserable lives).The language of Neruda is sophisticated, memories are convoluted, but so are all memories of love: sophisticated and distorted by memory, regret, nostalgia and longing for those loves to come back. They do when we read Neruda. He is not one of my favorite poets. I especially dislike his political (procommunist) poetry of later days. But I certainly enjoy reading his words and seeing the images he paints, the sounds he evocates, the smells that remain in the back of my head from earlier loves. Highly recommended for reading and re-reading.
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Summary: Neruda's Best
Review: Other Neruda fans and poetry critics claim that his later works are his best, but I disagree. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair was Neruda's first published book, done so when he was in his twenties. I think that's what makes this such a great book -- when you couple Neruda's incredible talent with the passion of youth, you get an incredible piece of literature. This is great romantic poetry, full of erotic passion and longing. Neruda knew how to use words to their maximum effect, and his wonderful, innovative use of imagery does what I feel poetry should do: it makes the reader think.
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Summary: like artwork...
Review: Pablo Neruda shapes his words like a sculptor does is artwork. His precise imagery is so delicately perfect that it translates beautifully from spanish to english. I highly recommend his poems to anyone who needs advice or consolation about love. Neruda knows what is up.....check this out! I LOVE HIS POEMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Summary: La belleza de las palabras brilla!
Review: Pablo Neruda's poetry is among the most sensous and beautiful poetry ever written. He wrote with such passion and exquisite mastery of the language, that he is rightly considered among the best poets in the world. The imagery of his poems is strong, well-crafted...just perfect. For any romantic spirit, Neruda is a dream come true...and for us average readers, he is the poet of our hearts.
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Summary: Puedo Escribir los Versos is amazing
Review: Poem number 20, Tonight I Can Write is one of the greatest poems ever written and all of the poems in this collection are equally as stunning.
Rating:
Summary: LUSH
Review: take the one-minute neruda test: "i want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees." there, how'd that feel? good, great, fantastic? plenty more where that came from.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Amazing
Review: This book is great. I'm not a big fan of poetry, but after reading this..I want to own all of Neruda's work. "Here I Love You" is my favorite poem in this collection.
Rating:
Summary: To what shall I compare thee?
Review: This book is the quintessential romantic bible. Truly written with one end in mind.....to empower one to "woo women". One cannot go back enough to these musings of young love and not find something new, something to instill again a deep belief in the power of love and passion. Should be mandatory reading for all Spanish majors and romantics alike......
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Summary: The mother of all love poem books
Review: This book of love poems is the most hauntingly accurate realization of the emotions of love and of sexual love between a man and a woman that has ever been written. Reading it (over and over again) has enriched my life as a lover and as a writer. When my parents passed away, I was not suprised to find two editions of this book (in Spanish) among my fathers most personal belongings.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful imagery but less mature than later works
Review: This is a book of fantastic love poems full of erotic but not explicit imagery. His later poems show much more understanding of love and relationships. They are also much more accessible. I would not have missed reading these poems, however.
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