The Chilean Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was probably the greatest & certainly the most prolific of twentieth-century Latin American poets. He brought out his first collection at the age of seventeen & quickly developed an assured & distinctive poetic voice. His third book Veinte Poemas de Amor y una Cancion Desesperada
- Twenty Love Poems & a Song of Despair- was published in 1924 & attracted international acclaim. It remains one of the most celebrated & admired books of erotic poetry published in the last hundred years with over a million copies sold worldwide. Neruda was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1971.