He returned to Chile a few years later to advise communist president Salvador Allende.
The Chilean poet’s interest in politics was so strong, he served as a senator representing the communist party and also held several diplomatic positions. After communism was outlawed, Neruda fled to Argentina when a warrant for his arrest was issued. He returned to Chile a few years later to advise communist president Salvador Allende. Neruda died in 1973 under what the Chilean government eventually admitted were suspicious circumstances. Neruda is still called Chile’s national poet. You can read Pablo Neruda’s work in the book Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, available from publisher Penguin Random House.