Neruda

Abstract

In 1948, the communist poet and senator Pablo Neruda, like some of his comrades, is persecuted once the communist party is declared illegal in Chile. Neruda is a great reference for the simple Chilean people. At the request of President Gabriel González Videla, the policeman Óscar Peluchonneau is in charge of his persecution and is obsessed with his capture. Neruda is now a poet turned into a weapon, in the spotlight. He lives in hiding, in houses of acquaintances, together with his wife, the painter Delia del Carril. He writes his epic General Song in 1950, and tries to flee the country. Meanwhile, in Europe, before the obsessive search of the police, the legend of the poet supported by artists increases, especially by his friend Picasso. But Neruda uses this follow-up to recreate himself becoming a universal symbol of freedom and a literary myth.