Pablo Neruda, legendary romance poet, died of poisoning in 1973: Nephew citing forensic experts

Legendary poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, who also had a stint as adiplomat from Chile, had died of poisoning about 50 years ago, a family member of 'The Song of Despair' author said on Monday. The prolific romanticist, who held the fort as one of the most celebrated poets of the twentieth century, reportedly did not die of complications from prostate cancer, as was previously believed.The revelation came from Rodolfo Reyes, one of Neruda's nephews, who is also the lawyer in the judicial case over his uncle’s death and is the latest turn in one of the great debates of Chile.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Reyes said forensic tests carried out in Danish and Canadian labs indicated a presence of "a great quantity of clostridium botulinum, which is incompatible with human life." The powerful toxin can cause paralysis in the nervous system and death.

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The long-stated official position has been that Neruda died of complications from prostate cancer, but the poet’s driver argued for decades that he was poisoned.

Reyes' comments await confirmation from forensic experts from Canada, Denmark, and Chile who are scheduled to publicly release a report Wednesday on the cause of Neruda’s death.

The public release of the group’s findings has been delayed twice this year.

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Neruda, 69, was suffering from prostate cancer. He died in the chaos that followed Chile’s September 1973 coup that ousted President Salvador Allende and put General Augusto Pinochet in power.

Neruda’s body was exhumed in 2013 to determine the cause of his death. However, those tests reportedly showed no poisons in his bone.His family and driver demanded further investigation.

In 2015, Chile’s government said it was “highly probable that a third party” was responsible for Neruda’s death.

Neruda was reburied in his favourite home overlooking the Pacific Coast in 2022.

(With inputs from agencies)

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