Pablo de Rokha

Pablo de Rokha (October 17, 1894 in Licantén, Chile - September 10, 1968 in Santiago, Chile) was a Chilean poet. He won the Chilean Premio Nacional de Literatura (National Literature Prize) in 1965 and is counted among The four greats of Chilean poetry, along with Pablo Neruda, Vicente Huidobro and Gabriela Mistral. He is considered an avant-garde poet and an influential figure in the poetry scene of his country.

Biography

Pablo de Rokha was born Carlos Díaz Loyola in the small town of Licantén in the Maule Region, Chile on October 17, 1894. He was the son of Ignacio Díaz Alvarado and Laura Loyola de Toledo and was the oldest of nineteen siblings. His family was middle class farmers from a rural area and de Rokha’s father did various jobs to earn a living, such as a farm manager and a chief customs officer in the Andes border crossings. De Rokha spent his childhood on the farm “Pocoa de Corinto” (Pocoa of Corinth farm) where his father was working as manager, and used to accompany his father to the Andes border crossings.