"Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair" (Spanish: "Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada") is a poetry book written by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. It was published in June 1924 and helped make Neruda famous when he was only 19 years old. The book is considered one of the most well-known literary works of the 20th century in the Spanish language. It has been translated into many languages, including English, where the translation was done by poet W. S. Merwin in 1969.

Background and composition

The book is from Pablo Neruda's early years and shows a deliberate change in his poetic style. It moves away from the common modernist styles seen in his earlier work, including his first book, Crepusculario. The collection includes twenty love poems, each without a title, and ends with a final poem called The Song of Despair.

Although the poems are inspired by Neruda's real-life love experiences as a young man, the book is not focused on one specific person. Instead, the poet combines details from different women he knew to create a dream-like image of love that represents an ideal, not a real person. Neruda himself noted that this book replaced grand, complex poetic language with a simpler, more direct style.

The language in the poems is straightforward, similar to the style used in romantic and modernist literature. The poems use two different types of rhythm. Many follow a regular pattern, especially using a specific type of verse called the Alexandrine. However, some poems break this pattern, allowing the poet more freedom in how he writes.

Through this book, Neruda successfully connects with readers in a clear and accessible way, while also showing the influence of earlier poetic traditions and the new ideas in poetry from his time.

Influence in popular culture and legacy

The book Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair has inspired many musical works. The Spanish band La Oreja de Van Gogh mentions the book in their song Canción desesperada. The Spanish singer-songwriter Álex Ubago uses Neruda's Poem XX in a new way. The Mexican rock band Anabantha uses the lyrics from Neruda's Poem XX in their song. In 2005, the American group Brazilian Girls recorded the song Me gustas cuando callas, which takes its title from Poem XV. In 2001, the alternative rock musician Lynda Thomas released the flamenco song Ay, Ay, Ay as a single, which is based on this work. Singer-songwriters like Paco Ibáñez and Joan Manuel Serrat have recited Neruda's Poem XX.

During the feminist march on International Women's Day on March 8, 2020, in Santiago, Chile, one of the protest signs changed a line from Poem XV. The original line was Me gustas cuando callas porque estás como ausente ("I like you when you're silent because you're as if absent"). The sign changed it to Me gustas cuando hablas porque estás siempre presente ("I like you when you speak because you're always present").

This poetry book is the subject of the well-received movie Neruda, directed by Pablo Larraín and starring Gael García Bernal. The second album of the famous Chilean series 31 Minutos is titled 31 canciones de amor y una canción de Guaripolo ("31 Love Songs and a Guaripolo Song"), which references the title of Neruda's book.

Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair remains Neruda's most famous work. It has sold millions of copies worldwide and is still the best-selling poetry book in the Spanish language, more than 90 years after it was first published. As of 2020, the book is in the public domain in the United States, meaning it is available for free use.