Neftalí Reyes, a.k.a. Pablo Neruda

Neftalí Reyes is the main character of this fictionalized biography about the famous 20th-century poet, Pablo Neruda. At the start of the children’s novel, Neftalí is only seven years old. He is small and thin, much to the chagrin of his father. Neftalí has a vivid imagination, the visions of which intermingle with the reality he experiences. While he struggles with math in school, Neftalí has a deep interest in words. He enjoys collecting items that he finds outside, imagining that the objects maintain the impressions of those who used or encountered them before he did. From his youth, Neftalí has a stutter, which influences his shyness. Neftalí is innately compassionate and sympathetic, especially for the Mapuche people.

Neftalí does not have friends, and throughout the novel, he desperately wishes for one. While he entertains himself well by discovering treasures and...