Pablo Neruda (1904–1973) is considered by many to be the finest Latin American poet of the twentieth century. He was born Ricardo Eliecer Neftal’ Reyes in Parral, Chile. He later adopted the pen name Pablo Neruda and joined a group of experimental poets, publishing several volumes of his poetry before he turned twenty. He later served as a government consul and ambassador in the Chilean diplomatic service. In 1971, Neruda won the Nobel Prize for literature. His books of poetry include Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (1924), Elemental Odes (1954), and A New Decade: Poems (1958–1967).