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Twenty Love Poems &...

Pablo Neruda's Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair captures the raw, unguarded beauty of love in all its forms — its ecstasies, heartbreaks, and quiet moments of yearning. This boldly illustrated edition pairs Neruda's sensual, elegant poetry with provocative artwork and striking typography. The result is as intimate and immediate as the poems themselves.

Neruda wrote this, his first collection, at the unbelievable age of 19! And it’s sexy as hell without being explicit or crass.

3 books for $30 — Use code 3BOOKS at checkout

DETAILS

  • Pocket Edition: W 4.5 in x L 6 in
  • 96 pages
  • Original artwork by award-winning illustrator, Evan Robertson
  • Softcover, FSC-certified uncoated paper with vegetable-based inks
  • Designed and printed in the USA
  • Published by Obvious State


$ 12.00

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  • 5 stars: 3 (50%)
  • 4 stars: 1 (17%)
  • 3 stars: 2 (33%)
  • 2 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
D
Diane

Love the poems

N
Nate

Well designed

J
Jesse

The illustrations are beautiful, yet they overwhelm the text at times. The books are travel sized. My opinion is a high end magazine format would be a better fit.

C
Claudio

Feels a bit like stuff i write which is like an “i could have written this.” Other than that it’s decent.

M
Maritza

Lovely book. Graphically beautifully. High quality, well made.

B
B.
Via Goodreads

3.5 rounded up because the illustrations were lovely

Man, I'm questioning so many decisions to re-read stuff that I used to love. Because when I was a teenager, I loved Neruda's work.

Now, as an adult? I'm like, buddy, you kinda deserved your Song of Despair there...your "love poems" were all about women as objects. Are you really surprised that she left? I'm not.

It's like reading Wuthering Heights and going oh, this is Gothic/Romantic, not romance, just toxic AF. While I hit that realization on WH two decades ago, I haven't touched Neruda since 1998, so this one kinda took me by surprise.

About Us

Obvious State is a creative studio and publisher founded by Nichole and Evan Robertson in 2011.

We make bold, illustrated editions and art drawn from the classics.

Our books and prints are available in our shop and in bookstores and boutiques nationwide.

Our work has been featured at The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Writers Museum, The Emily Dickinson Museum, The Library of Congress, The Getty Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art and more.

One artist. Over 150 original works. All drawn from the classics.

Every piece is illustrated by Evan Robertson — a single artistic vision applied to some of the greatest works ever written.

Every piece rewards a second look. Or a third.

Provocative visuals paired with punctuated language, full of surprising visual metaphors, subtext, and insider nudges.

Books are the original smart device

Our pocket editions are portable art objects made to collect, share, and inspire moments of quiet reflection in an overstimulated digital world.

In Pursuit of Wisdom & Beauty

We’re drawn to language that has stood the test of time, insights that strike a chord, poetry that stretches the imagination, and philosophy that prompts critical thinking.