Pablo Neruda wrote the poems in Los versos del capitán as a celebration of his love for his third wife, Matilde Urrutia - a love affair that is itself celebrated in the acclaimed film Il Postino. Originally published anonymously in 1952 to spare his second wife's feelings, this bilingual edition is the book's first publication in Britain. Brian Cole's translations display all the qualities of vivid imagery, sensuousness, simplicity and passion for which Neruda's poetry is famous.