The Book of Questions

Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), The Book of Questions (Pasadena, Calif.: Archetype Press, Art Center College of Design, 2001). Edition of 55 copies. Graphic Arts division GAX 2008- in process

In 1973, a few months before his death, Neruda wrote over 70 poems based on simple, unanswerable questions. Libro de las preguntas (The Book of Questions) was published the following year. In 2001, printers at the Art Center College of Design’s Archetype Press were inspired to reproduce Neruda’s words as concrete poems in a virtuouso feat of creative typesetting. “This book,” states the introduction, “attempts to portray excerts from Pablo Neruda’s The Book of Questions, in a manner whereby the form and shape of both typography and the white space of the page combine to enrich the subtle nuances within the poet’s language.”


In which window did I remain watching buried time?