A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

Reading Isabel Allende’s new novel A Long Petal of the Sea it was hard not to think of the present day plight of refugees, and of all other great exodus of people fleeing war, seeking only a place to live in peace.

A Long Petal of the Sea begins with our introduction to Victor Dalmau, a young doctor fighting, and fighting to save lives during the darkest days of the Spanish Civil War. It is 1938 and we also meet Roser Bruguera, who lives with the Dalmau family in Catalonia and becomes the lover of the older son, Guillem, who has disappeared to war. By the end of January, 1939 the battle is lost and the Retreat begins as Franco’s troops advance, and many of those who fought against Fascism flee toward France. France aghast at this “massive influx of undesirables”. Sound familiar? Those who manage to find a way into France are fenced off in camps on the beaches.

Enter Pablo Neruda, the poet, already famous for his work, “who at the age of thirty-four was considered the best poet of his generation…some of his Twenty Love Poems had already become part of Chilean folklore”. Neruda, with a passionate love for Spain, concerned about the fate of the Republicans, convinces the Chilean president to allow a selected number of those fleeing Spain to come to Chile, accepting those who had skills that would contribute to the country. A ship, the Winnipeg, is converted to house the 2000 Spanish refugees rescued by Neruda and sets sail for Chile which Neruda calls a “long petal of sea and wine and snow”. Each chapter begins with from a poem by Pablo Neruda, who remains a life long friend to Victor Dalmau.

And, they do find peace and a home and prosperity in Chile. I am reluctant to tell more of the story, as much of the pleasure in reading this book, of course, was in following the story of Victor and Roser and those who are part of their lives. They live through times of much happiness and grief. They see a Military Coup and are forced to flee again from the place that has become home.

We read about a world at war in 1939 to 1945, and the changes that take place in Chile from 1939 until the present time, which are some of the most fascinating parts of the novel. After many, many years as Dictator of Spain, Franco’s death in 1975 means that it is possible for those who fled so long ago to return. But is Spain still home, or have the roots put down half way around the world become too strong to uproot?

A Long Petal of the Sea is the story of a generation gone. What is not gone is that there are still people, masses of people, fleeing war. Where is the Pablo Neruda of our time?