Casa de Isla Negra
Encyclopedia
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
's three houses in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. It is located at Isla Negra
Isla Negra
Isla Negra is a coastal area in El Quisco commune in central Chile, some 45 km south of Valparaiso and 95 km west of Santiago.-Pablo Neruda:...
, El Quisco
El Quisco
El Quisco is a Chilean city and commune in San Antonio Province, Valparaíso Region. Located in the country's central coast, it serves as a popular summer resort for the population of Santiago...
, San Antonio Province
San Antonio Province
San Antonio Province is one of eight provinces of the central Chilean region of Valparaíso . Its capital is the port city of San Antonio San Antonio Province is one of eight provinces of the central Chilean region of Valparaíso (V). Its capital is the port city of San Antonio San Antonio Province...
, Valparaíso Region
Valparaíso Region
The V Valparaíso Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Region, 2006 With the country's third highest population of 1,539,852 million in 2002 and third smallest area of , the region is Chile's second most densely populated after the Santiago Metropolitan Region...
about 85 km to the south of Valparaíso and 110 km to the west of Santiago. It was his favorite house and where he and his third wife, Matilde Urrutia
Matilde Urrutia
Matilde Urrutia was the third wife of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, from 1966 until his death in 1973. They met in Santiago in 1946. Urrutia was the inspiration behind Neruda's work 100 Love Sonnets which includes a beautiful dedication to her...
spent the majority of their time in Chile. Neruda, a lover of the sea and all things maritime, built the home to resemble a ship with low ceilings, creaking wood floors, and narrow passageways. A passionate collector, every room has a different collection of bottles, ship figurehead
Figurehead
A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the prow of ships largely made between the 16th and 19th century.-History:Although earlier ships had often had some form of bow ornamentation A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the prow of ships largely made between the 16th and...
s, maps, ships in bottles, and an impressive array of shells, which are located in their own "Under the Sea" room.
Neruda and his wife Matilde Urrutia are buried there, with a clear view of their beach. In English, Isla Negra means "Black Island," which refers to a rock outcropping nearby, however Isla Negra is not, in fact, an island.
During the winter, the area is subject to heavy rains, which inspired Neruda to write his Oda a la Tormenta (Ode to the Storm). Isla Negra was also Neruda's inspiration for many other poems.
The house is now a museum, managed by the Pablo Neruda Foundation, and has become a popular tourist destination.