This fish design represents the Pablo Nerudo Foundation
When Lewis the Lion was doing his walking tour of the city of Santiago, Franco, the tour guide, had told him about a special house which was worth visiting which belonged to the former Nobel Prize winner, Pablo Nerudo (1904 – 1973). He could see signs around the city of fish, directing tourists to it. Lewis the Lion with his sense of curiosity was intrigued to know more!
A sign pointing to "La Chascona"
So along with his friends, Helen, Helen, Mel and Alessandro, Lewis the Lion went to find out more about Pablo Nerudo by doing a guided tour of his Santiago house called La Chascona.
A sign showing La Chascona, Nerudo's Santiago home
He discovered that Pablo Nerudo was a very important Chilean poet, writer and politician.
A picture of Pablo Nerudo, the famous writer
He was so successful that he even was awarded the most prestigious award, the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.
Lewis the Lion stands next to a picture of Nerudo with his Nobel Prize
Some of his poetry was surreal or romantic. One of his most famous poems is called ‘An Ode to an Onion’ and he also wrote other odes to other fruits and vegetables! Click here to read his ‘Ode to an Onion‘ poem.
A poster of one of Nerudo's poems
Because Pablo Nerudo was a communist, during the time of Pinochet’s dictatorship, he had to leave Chile and live in exile. He moved to Europe and travelled to many other countries in the world. Due to his writing, he was honoured and welcomed into many countries.
Some street art of Nerudo outside his Santiago home
However, Lewis the Lion discovered that perhaps the most fascinating thing about Pablo Nerudo was the things he liked to collect. Pablo Nerudo owned three houses in Chile: one in Santiago – La Chascona, one in Valparaïso – La Sebastiana and one in Isla Negra – Casa de Isla Negra and each one of them was filled with treasures abounding.
One of the outdoor levels in the Chascona House
Pablo Nerudo seemed to be a bit of an eccentric as his house was filled with all sorts of quirky furniture, ornaments and other decorations which came from all over the world.
Lewis the Lion and Helen shake hands with a statue of Nerudo
From Spode crockery sets to Venetian glass, from Russian dolls to enormous cobbled shoes. One of his houses was even built a bit like a ship because Nerudo loved (and yet feared) the sea so much. Sometimes he would dress up like a captain and jump out and surprise his guests over dinner as he was a real joker. He certainly seemed to enjoy socialising and had a good sense of humour.
A poster of Nerudo
Lewis the Lion enjoyed his visit to La Chascona so much that when he visited Valparaïso, he also made a point of visiting Pablo Nerudo’s other home: La Sebastiana.
Lewis sees what Nerudo would have seen from his dining room
Unfortunately, Lewis the Lion was not allowed to take photos inside these houses but managed to take some from the outside as you can see below.
Lewis with some unusual plants in Nerudo's garden
La Sebastiana from the outside
See if you can write a poem or an ode to a fruit or vegetable like Pablo Nerudo!
