Pablo Neruda

School Library Journal

Gr 8-12 --Two biographies with open, easy- on-the-eye formats, clear type and good lead ing, lots of black-and-white photographs, and good indexes. Both cover the lives of their subjects in considerable detail. Neither is read able enough for general reading, but both are suitable as report sources. Neruda is definitely the better written of the two. While Roman's prose is hardly sparkling, he does include able translations of Neruda's poetry into English. Not only does this give readers/researchers an outline of the poet's political life, but it also provides a taste of the artistic elements that have made him world renowned. Despite the dryness of both texts, there is nothing else available on these two intellectual giants for this age group. These titles may well augment collections in which there is a need for biogra phies on achievers in the liberal arts or in the Hispanic community. --Ann Welton, Thomas Academy, Kent, WA