Suburbs by Pablo Neruda (1964)
The poem explores the theme of urbanization and its effects on human relationships and emotions. It describes a sense of disconnection and isolation in the midst of crowded cities, where people live in close proximity but remain emotionally distant. The speaker reflects on their own experiences of feeling disconnected from others, even in intimate relationships.
By Pablo Neruda · First published 1964 · Genre: Poetry, Social Commentary, Literary Fiction · 232 words
First lines
I celebrate the virtues and vices of suburban middle-class people who overwhelm the refrigerator and position colorful umbrellas near the garden that longs for a pool: for my middle-class brother this principle of supreme luxury: what are you and what am I, and we go on deciding the real truth in this world.
The truth of that dream we buy on credit of not going to the office on Saturday, at last, and the merciless bosses whom the worker manufacturers in indivisible granaries where executioners were always born and grow up and always multiply.
We, heroes and poor devils, the feeble, the braggarts, the unfinished, and capable of everything impossible as long as it's not seen or heard,
What this Textopian page supports
Suburbs is listed on Textopian as a poem by Pablo Neruda, dated 1964 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Pablo Neruda
- Date: 1964 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Social Commentary, Literary Fiction, Existentialism, Satire
- Length: 232 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Confusing
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Suburbs by Pablo Neruda
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Similar titles
- City Streets by Maxwell Bodenheim
- Monotony by Langston Hughes
- Adam Weirauch by Edgar Lee Masters
- Fifth Avenue New York by Maxwell Bodenheim
- The Old Men by William Carlos Williams
- Estrada by Pablo Neruda
Genres
- Poetry — The work employs poetic language and structure, focusing on themes of suburban life and human experience.
- Social Commentary — The text critiques middle-class values and societal norms, reflecting on the lives of suburban individuals.
- Literary Fiction — The narrative explores complex characters and themes, emphasizing the human condition within a suburban context.
- Existentialism — The work delves into existential themes, questioning identity and the meaning of life in a suburban setting.
Tags
Poetry · Chilean Literature · Latin American Poetry · Urban Life · Suburban Experience · Social Commentary · Political Undertones · Love and Relationships · Family Dynamics · Middle Class · Alienation · Disillusionment
More by Pablo Neruda
- Body of a Woman (1959)
- The Light Wraps You (1954)
- Ah Vastness of Pines (1975)
- The Morning Is Full (1954)
- So That You Will Hear Me (1976)
- I Remember You As You Were (1952)
- Leaning Into The Afternoons Leaning into the afternoons I cast my sad nets towards your oceanic eyes (1954)
- White Bee (1974)
- All works by Pablo Neruda