Abstract

In 1964 the government of the People’s Republic of China invited the Chilean poet Pablo de Rokha to visit the socialist country. This paper, a brief introduction to De Rokha’s relation with China, explores the political and artistic links that existed between the poet and Maoist China. By focusing on the factors that led to his invitation, the details of his trip, and the content and translation of his poems on China, the article argues that his travel and writings are the result of and represent the successful encounter of De Rokha’s and Chinese perspectives on revolutionary and artistic matters. The paper reveals an illustrative case of a Latin American intellectual who expressed a feeling of identification with China’s communist project, based on the mutual problems and aspirations of both regions. Ultimately, the paper contends that Pablo de Rokha’s relationship with Maoism offers a case of particular relevance for the study of the globalization of revolutionary politics and art during the long 1960s. In this sense, it provides evidence of the extent to which the global and the local permeated the minds of left actors who sought to influence discussions on the national and international political arena.