South-south crossings: the reception of Paz, Neruda, and García Márquez in India

Abstract

The postcolonial worlds of Latin America and India, sitting far away from each other, share many historical, sociological, political, and cultural commonalities, which seems to have created favourable conditions for intercultural literary reception and exchange. Pablo Neruda is generally held in India as a sensitive poet of love and, at the same time, a politically committed Marxist, almost revered by left-wing literati in the entire subcontinent. His work Veinte poemas de amor has been translated into many local languages, and it has been performed, sang, and recited throughout the country along with poems of Neruda’s later phase. In the Hindi literary world, he is undoubtedly the most famous poet from the Spanish speaking world. Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez has left a deep impression as well, especially on Malayalam cinema and literature. Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz, who was his country’s ambassador in India for almost six years, established an artistic exchange with many Hindi poets and artists. The present article seeks to contribute to current research in this field by offering an overview of the non-academic spheres and agents that have facilitated the reception of Latin American writings in India.