April: are published six from the posthumous books of poetry: “Book of Questions”, “Elegy”, “Defects chosen”, “Winter Garden”, “2000”, “The yellow Heart”, in addition to his memories, “I confess that I have lived”.

About the posthumous books of poetry, Professor Hernán Loyola warns that it is difficult to determine the order in which these books were written: "from all the poems a lot were written in France between April 1971 and November 1972. Subsequently these French poems were distributed in the various books published in 1974, mixing the poems written in Isla Negra between December 1972 and July-August 1973. "

On the conditions under which these books were written, Marie-Laure Sara says: "... despite his high political responsibilities to secure the support of Europe to the socialist government of Allende, Neruda writes without stopping at anytime and anywhere (...) Moved by the urge to leave a testimony of those years, and aware that his time is counted, Neruda composes in three years seven posthumous books of poetry, often writing them at the same time in parallel.”
About these books, Jaime Alazraki wrote: "in them we recognize old grounds and old way of continuing concerns in his work: the poem - dialogue with poets and friends, only now most of them are dead (Elegy) (...) their uninterrupted treatment with the sea, the problems of the century and his party, the woman he loved, and others. The ruling, however, is an attitude of introspection that began with Estravagario reaches its maturity in books like Hands of the day (1968) and Still (1969). “Alazraki adds, that "the public poet which ironically reproached his colleagues for their selfishness and self-absorption, now opens his poetry to the privacy of himself, the silence of loneliness, and the magic beat of 'the wave of the mysteries'." To Alazraki, in the posthumous poetry of Neruda, dominates "a reflective intimacy that resolves itself in symbols, parables, riddles, fables and cryptic silences that the poet tries to decipher."

About “I confess that I have lived”: on the letter of August 5, 1972, Neruda wrote to his biographer and friend Volodia Teitelboim, who was working daily in the Manquel (his home in Normandy), with his secretary, Homero Arce, in his memories: "it’s about to complete the text of Cruzeiro to form an important book "- he said referring to the autobiographical series of ten articles published in the International journal O'Cruzeiro in 1962. Neruda worked until his last days in this "important book", but he failed to give it the final order. From the organization of the material occupied his widow, Matilde Urrutia, and his friend from Venezuela, the writer Miguel Otero Silva.

The military government did not allow that this book, published by Losada in Buenos Aires, enter to Chile. Only a few copies entered the country camouflaged in a curious issue with false cover of the novel “Teresa Batista cansada da guerra” of Jorge Amado. Although, some criticisms emerged in Chile, as Hernán Díaz Arrieta, Alone, wrote in El Mercurio of Santiago, July 21, 1974. In part it says: "In his memories nourished, crammed with facts, anecdotes of things, people and characters to navigate, full of movement and color, plethora of small details, colorful, never passes a current argument even surface and reasoning. Is not that interested him. Instead irresistibly appeal to him the appetite to live ...”
Emir Rodriguez Monegal at the work "Pablo Neruda, the memories and lives of the poet,” describes “I confess that I lived” as "a book deliberately fragmented, a literary collage not only of memories (...) but autobiographical written.” He adds that "Neruda wanted so when he postpone indefinitely the written of his memories and compose them a collage of existing texts." He concludes that "the nature of the book, its text function is to be very fragmented."

Augusto German Ohihuela, in the Bulletin of the National Archives, Caracas, 1976, writes: "The anecdotal and political, historical and poetic, the circumstantial and the transcendental, the real and the fantastic, the sentimental and humorous make this book a fascinating read ...”

Jürgen von Stackelberg, in Iberoromania, 5, 1976, notes that Neruda's memories "contain plenty of great pictures and descriptions are also full of literary portraits of the most original people and brimming with sparkling and humorous stories brilliantly told."

Finally, Marjorie Agosin, in explanation of literary texts 10, 1981 states: "through these memories we have traveled and the project offered the opportunity to focus on the poetry of the author and the function of his poetry. It also responded to the need of the reader to imagine what the author suggests and from these reports we will find an opening that will enable us to always read as if we were entering a new text. "

May 7: Neruda's remains are transferred to the niche 44, module Mexico of the General Cemetery, where never missed carnations and some makeshift registration of remembrance and tribute.

Is published the first volume of Opere postume, joint publication of the poet's last poetry translated into Italian by Giuseppe Bellini. The second volume will appear in 1976.

Appears in England “Pablo Neruda. A basic anthology, The Dolphins Book, an excellent anthology for English readers, made by Robert Pring - Mill, friend of the poet and an expert in his work. This selection includes an extensive preliminary study also by Pring – Mill.

Is published in France La pensée poetique of Pablo Neruda, by Alain Sicard, one of the most comprehensive and profound studies about the poet's work. In 1981, appears the Spanish translation: The poetic thought of Pablo Neruda, published by Gredos Editions.

Appears “Neruda”, by Volodia Teitelboim, one of the major biographies of the poet.

On January 5 dies Matilde Urrutia, his widow, who became a leading fighter for human rights violated by the dictatorship and was determined to preserve the spiritual and material heritage of the poet, driving the creation of the Pablo Neruda Foundation.

The Pablo Neruda Foundation acquires full legal existence with the publication in the Official Journal of Supreme Decree 368 of Ministry of Justice, on June 4. His immediate legal history is the testament of Matilde Urrutia, in which the Foundation outlines its rules and appoints their directors or advisers.

Appear “My life with Pablo”, the book in which Matilde Urrutia recalls his years of living with the poet.

December 11: are exhumed the remains of Neruda and Matilde Urrutia and transferred to a wake in the ceremonial hall of the former National Congress.

December 12: after 19 years of his death could be fulfilled the wish of the poet that his body was buried in Isla Negra, facing the sea he loved and sang. The only speaker at this ceremony was the President Patricio Aylwin.

Is published the first volume of the “Complete Works” of Pablo Neruda, edited by Hernán Loyola, Galaxia Gutenberg Editions. This work, which includes all books written by Neruda, as well as scattered writings, was completed in 2002 with the appearance of volume V.

With the publication of “Roads from the East” begins the biographical trilogy “Behind the trail of the itinerant poet”, by Edmundo Olivares, who will continue with “The world's roads” and “Roads of America”.

July 12: the President of the Republic, Ricardo Lagos Escobar, signed the decree that creates a Commission at the highest level, to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Pablo Neruda.

The Centenary of the Birth of the poet is commemorated with singular brilliance and variety of activities in the whole world.