Mark Eisner has spent most of the past two decades working on projects related to Pablo. Earlier, he conceived, edited and contributed translations for City Lights’ The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems. He also developed and wrote the introduction to City Lights’ translation of Neruda’s “venture of the infinite man.” He is currently producing a documentary on Neruda, with support from Latino Public Broadcasting. Eisner holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan and an MA in Latin American Studies from Stanford, where he later was a Visiting Scholar. He is the author of Neruda: The Poet’s Calling (Ecco), the most definitive biography to date of the poet Pablo Neruda, a moving portrait of one of the most intriguing and influential figures in Latin American history. Few poets have captured the global imagination like Pablo Neruda. In his native Chile, across Latin America, and in many other parts of the world, his name and legacy have become almost synonymous with liberation movements, and with the language of erotic love. Neruda: The Poet’s Calling is the product of fifteen years of research by Mark Eisner, writer, translator, and documentary filmmaker. The book vividly depicts Neruda’s monumental life, potent verse, and ardent belief in the “poet’s obligation” to use poetry for social good. It braids together three major strands of Neruda’s life—his world-revered poetry; his political engagement; and his tumultuous, even controversial, personal life—forming a single cohesive narrative of intimacy and breadth.
