A heavily revised typescript of Neruda's "extraordinary, Bible-like epic of spiritual renewal", set in a post-Apocalypose Eden in Patagonia, produded during his "new, final passion" for Alicia Urrutia which gave access to "an astounding late burst of energy" (quotations from Feinstein Pablo Neruda, A Passion for Life. London, 2004).
Nearly all pages have authorial annotations, including two pasted-on slips, the addition of section titles and frequent substitutions and additions of individual words and short phrases, nearly all in Neruda's hand, a few words in the same hand as the pagination. The Eve figure's name is changed from Rocía to Rosía throughout, there are many corrections of misreadings which seem to have been made between manuscript and typing, insertions of linebreaks, and many substantial revisions, such as "esqueletas negres en las bodegas" being replaced with "esqueletos olvidados en las zanjas" (in fact every occurence of the word "negre" is replaced). All the numbering of sections is inserted by hand, with XXXI used twice, meaning that the TS and published text are out of sync until Section 50 when it is rectified.
The manuscript was sent to Neruda's young friend Katya Kohn, later Katya Bernasconi Kohn, of Quito in Ecuador, in the hope that she would illustrate an edition (to be printed in Madrid) with her very stylish screenprints. There is a TLS from Neruda, dated Nov 23 1970, saying that she has probably missed the boat, since the Madrid publisher is thinking of "Dalí o en algún otro pintor español" as illustrator.
There are also five photocopies of letters from Neruda in which he first proposes the project in December 1969, confidentially telling her what the thrust of the book will be (" . . . un libro de tema muy antiguo, bíblico. Adán y Eva cambian de región. Todo pasa en el Sur frío, cerca de la Antártida, entre immensas selvas y volcanes") and a copy of an inscribed photograph of Katya and Neruda together in San Antonio, Quito.
Katya's family were Jewish refugees from Czechoslovakia who settled in Ecuador, where Katya was born and grew up. Her father was an architect, and their "Casa Kohn" is one of Quito's most celebrated houses. She inherited his artistic flair, and her screenprints are exceptionally attractive.
Some browning to some of the paper, water stain bottom left not affecting the text.
