Editing Luis Cernuda (section)

====Desolación de la Quimera (1956–1962)====

Cernuda's last book of poems is a summing up of his career. It was published in Mexico in November 1962.<ref name="Poesia completa" /> It mingles poems in the style of his first book with epigrammatic works and extended reveries in his mature style. In "Niño tras un cristal", he completes a cycle of poems about the unawareness and hope of a child before its corruption by the world - a theme present right from the start of his poetic career.<ref name=Connell208 /> In addition there are poems that are derived from song-titles or catch-phrases - "Otra vez, con sentimiento" - and historical poems about figures such as Mozart, Verlaine and Rimbaud, Keats, Goethe, Ludwig of Bavaria. There is also a poem about a painting by [[Titian]],"''Ninfa y pastor'', por Ticiano". It is as if Cernuda has a need to base his experiences of life on a foundation of cultural references.<ref name="Villena introduction46">Villena intro to Las Nubes etc p 46</ref> Stylistically, this is an extreme collection. There no lyrical flights, no expansive metaphors. However, in the view of Luis Antonio de Villena, this dry language is exactly right for these ironic, cutting but perfectly chiselled poems.<ref name="Villena introduction52">Villena intro to Las Nubes etc p 52</ref>

It is clear that he knew that his life was coming to a close and he wanted to settle his accounts. This is shown by the titles of poems such as "Antes de irse", "Dos de noviembre", "Del otro lado", "Epílogo" and "Despedida". There are direct links to previous collections. For example, "Epílogo" is explicitly related to the "Poemas para un cuerpo", and "Pregunta vieja, vieja respuesta" links back to ''Donde habite el olvido''.<ref name="Villena introduction43">Villena intro to Las Nubes etc p 43</ref>

He also returns to the theme of Spain, which had first appeared in ''Las nubes'', analysing what he admires and dislikes.<ref name="Villena introduction44">Villena intro to Las Nubes etc p 44</ref> In "Díptico español", he shows his contempt for the intolerance, stupidity and cruelty of the Spanish society of his era. He is a Spaniard despite himself: he has no choice in the matter. However, he is proud of Spanish culture as exemplified by the works of [[Benito Pérez Galdós]] and [[Miguel de Cervantes]]: he is nostalgic not so much for the reality of Spain as for the idealised world created by Spanish literature.<ref name="Villena introduction45">Villena intro to Las Nubes etc p 45</ref> There are poems about other poets he knew, sometimes splenetic in tone. As usual, the major theme is that of the impossibility of finding happiness in a world where desire and reality diverge - cf "Hablando a Manona", "Luna llena en Semana Santa", or "Música cautiva".<ref name="Villena introduction55">Villena intro to Las Nubes etc p 55</ref> However, he does find some kind of consolation in the realm of art - listening to Mozart's music, or considering the world of Goethe compared with that of Napoleon's drunken soldiers.<ref name="Villena introduction55" /> Also, by this time, he had gathered some degree of fame in Spain and there were signs that people were responding to his writings. In "Peregrino", he reacts to enquiries about whether he might return to his homeland in a characteristically grumpy way which shades into a tone of resolute stoicism as he explains that he is driven to keep moving forward and can never return to the past.<ref name=Connell209>Connell p 209</ref>