Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) is regarded by many as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. Born in rural Chile he moved to the capital, Santiago, and published his first book in 1923. During the 20s and 30s he served as a diplomat and was ambassador to Spain at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. This event profoundly changed his writing style to one of addressing social and political concerns. He returned to Chile in 1938 but spent many years in exile due to political conditions. Neruda won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1971. Milton Rogovin (1909 - 2011)was a nationally renown social documentary photographer. His work is included in major galleries around the world. His most recent publications include: The Bonds Between Us: A Celebration of Family; Milton Rogovin: The Forgotten Ones; and Windows That Open Inward: Images of Chile. Dennis Maloney is a poet, editor, and translator. A number of volumes of his own poetry have been published including: Listening to Tao Yuan Ming, The Things I Notice Now and The Faces of Guan Yin. His works of translation include: The Stones of Chile by Pablo Neruda, The Landscape of Castile by Antonio Machado, Between the Floating Mist:Poems of Ryokan, and The Poet and the Sea by Juan Ramon Jimenez. He is also the editor and publisher of the widely respected White Pine Press in Buffalo, NY.
Windows That Open Inward: Images of Chile is a stunning collaboration of visions: the vision of a great photographer and the vision of a great poet. The book is handsomely published by White Pine Press and editor Dennis Maloney has masterfully chosen texts by Neruda to accompany the photographs. Windows That Open Inward is beautiful book that can be read and enjoyed many times. It is a pleasure to hold in one's hands. -Steven White, The Bloomsbury Review Windows That Open Inward is a mosaic of visual images fused with words that create a compelling image of Chile. Rogovin, a well-known photographer, journeyed to Chile in 1967. At Neruda's suggestion, he went to the island of Chiloe, in the south. Rogovin's visit was most fruitful. He came away with some extraordinary photographs, capturing the stark beauty of Chiloe and the unromantic life of its people. His portraits depict individuals and families and the tools and elements of their existence. The camera's eye opens on cloves of garlic on a kitchen table, a shoemaker at work, an old woman spinning yarn, or an uprooted cross in a cemetery. Rogovin focuses on the activities and instruments of everyday life and thus resonates with Neruda. There is a symbiotic relationship between Rogovin and Neruda, a common interest in and respect for the ordinary. Editor Maloney has selected a diverse cross-section of Neruda's poems to complement the photographs. The Neruda/Rogovin collaboration honors the simple and the common-place honors the simple and the common-place in ways that illuminate their inherent dignity. The book stirs the inner eye of the reader. -David Barsamian, Colorado Daily