On Sunday, September 22, “Our Town” presented a tribute to poet Pablo Neruda.
In the first part, the program highlighted Neruda’s long and fascinating poetic journey, his awards, his love for language, the environment, and his homeland, Chile.
Actors Akillas Karazisis and Michalis Mitrousis read his poems, while musical renditions of his works by Greek composers and Spanish renditions by Danai Stratigopoulou were played.
In the second part, translator and award-winning poet Giorgos Kentrotis, in a discussion with host Themis Rodamitis, talked about the impact of Neruda’s poetry on the general public and the younger generation, inspired by his translation and editing of Neruda’s autobiography “I Confess That I Have Lived.” Kentrotis also discussed the major milestones in Neruda’s life, including his childhood, the places he traveled to and loved, and his relationships with key figures like Lorca, Rafael Alberti, Fidel Castro, and the assassinated Prime Minister Allende, during whose government Neruda served as a diplomat.
The program also touched on Neruda’s important lectures and the notes that significantly enrich his memoirs.
Neruda once said, “My life is a life built from all lives, from the lives of all poets.”
Pablo Neruda passed away on September 23, 1973.
Produced and presented by Themis Rodamitis