Nobody cares how the rapist Pablo Neruda died

One of the longest-running mysteries in modern Chilean history may have been finally solved. The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda was indeed poisoned. But why should it matter, and why now?

Official accounts

According to official reports, Neruda died on September 23, 1973 - just 12 days after the military coup that toppled President Salvador Allende's democratically elected socialist government - of prostate cancer and malnutrition.

However, some people, notably Rodolfo Reyes, the nephew of Pablo Neruda, have long felt that the poet was killed because of his resistance to Augusto Pinochet's budding dictatorship.

The investigation

The poet's ex-chauffeur, Manuel Araya, revealed to a Chilean judge 10 years ago that an agitated Neruda had called him from the Santiago hospital where he was being treated to say that he had been injected in the stomach while he was asleep. Hours later, the poet died. The judge then ordered the exhumation of the poet's remains. 

After sending samples of Neruda's bones to forensic labs in four different nations for examination, the Chilean government declared in 2015 that it was "very possible that a third party" was accountable for his demise. A group of foreign specialists declared two years later that they were "100% confident" the poet did not pass away from prostate cancer.

The mystery solved

On one of Neruda's excavated teeth, the germs that create the neurotoxin that causes botulism were found in 2017. The latest forensic results have revealed that the clostridium botulinum toxin was present in Neruda’s body when he died. Forensic specialists confirmed that the Nobel laureate died after being poisoned with the potent toxin, seemingly validating decades of suspicions that he was murdered. 

Though speculation about the manner of his death has now finally been resolved, it begs the question - why should we preoccupy ourselves with the circumstances surrounding the death of a known sexual assaulter?

Rape confession

It is important to note that Neruda's legacy has also been complicated by allegations of sexual assault. In his book The Complete Memoirs, published posthumously in 1974, Neruda describes the rape of a woman, a member of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka (erstwhile Ceylon), whom he refers to as "a Tamil of the pariah caste". The incident allegedly occurred during his time as Chilean consul in Sri Lanka in 1929.

The description of the assault in Neruda's book is graphic and disturbing, and it has been the subject of considerable controversy and debate. While some have argued that the description is a work of fiction or a product of Neruda's imagination, others have pointed to it as evidence of the poet's abusive behaviour.

Aftermath

In 2018, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, the Chilean Ministry of Culture called off renaming the Santiago airport after Neruda, citing the allegations of sexual assault. The decision was met with both support and criticism, with some arguing that it was important to acknowledge the harm that Neruda had caused, while others maintaining that his literary achievements should be evaluated separately from his personal behaviour.

Regardless of one's views on these allegations, it is clear that they have complicated the legacy of a poet whose work continues to resonate with readers around the world. It is a reminder that even great artists are capable of harmful behaviour, and that we must engage with their work critically and thoughtfully, taking into account both its aesthetic and ethical dimensions.

While it is important to acknowledge the cultural significance of Neruda's contributions to the literary world, it is equally vital to recognise that the power and prestige of his work cannot be fully appreciated without also considering the harm he inflicted on others. In light of these claims, it is difficult to justify the recognition and praise that was once bestowed upon his poetry, and the continuation of such recognition is an insult to those who have suffered as a result of his actions.

It is not enough to simply acknowledge the quality of his work without also acknowledging the serious harm he caused to others. The poetic legacy of Pablo Neruda cannot be separated from his disturbing accounts of assault. Any attempts to do so would be an affront to the victims of such behaviour and a perpetuation of the cultural acceptance of abusive behaviour by those in positions of power.

His works, which were once celebrated for their vivid imagery and imaginative language, now bear the mark of his disturbing history of abuse. It is essential to recognise that art and artists are not separate from the larger context of their lives, and that the harm caused by individuals in positions of power cannot be brushed aside in the pursuit of literary appreciation.

While Neruda aficionados relentlessly pursue justice regarding the circumstances of his death, while simultaneously invalidating feminist criticisms of the poet's history of abuse; the irony of these pursuits seems lost on the supporters of the poet.

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