The Spanish Civil War in 1936-1939 strongly affected Pablo Neruda. The war started when General Francisco Franco in Spain Morocco organized the revolt against the lawful Republican government. The explosion of the civil war and the murder of Garcia Lorca, whom Neruda knew, made him join the Republican movement. During that period of time, Pablo Neruda started working on his collection of poems Espana en el Corazon.



A poem I’m explaining a Few Things is included in the collection of poems Espana en el Corazon. In I’m explaining a Few Things, Neruda describes a peaceful life in Madrid before the civil war. He says, “My house was called the house of flowers, because in every cranny geraniums burst: it was a good-looking house with its dogs and children” (P 151). Then he continues to show the suburb routine of the capital of Spain, “Everything loud with big voices, the salt of merchandises, pile-ups of palpitating bread, the stalls of my suburb of Arguelles with its statue like a drained inkwell in a swirl of hake”. (P 151-152). The beginning of the war causes the destroying of all that. Neruda says, “And one morning all that was burning, one morning the bonfires leapt out of the earth devouring human being” (P 153). Pablo Neruda describes the crimes against the innocent civilians who were targeted by the fascist pilots. He says, “Bandits with planes and moors, bandits with finger-rings and duchesses, bandits with black friars spattering blessins came through the sky to kill children and the blood of children ran through the streets without fuss, like children’s blood.” (P 153).



Unfortunately the forces of General Franco with the huge support of fascist Germany and Italy won the war and the third dictator state in Western Europe was established in 1939. But the honest and brave people like Pablo Neruda, who always fought for freedom, approached the end of bloody dictators.