In 1937, the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda published 'España en el corazón' (Spain in the Heart), one of the most powerful collections of poetry inspired by the Spanish Civil War. Neruda, who had served as Chilean consul in Madrid, witnessed the war firsthand and wrote the collection as a passionate defense of the Republic and a denunciation of fascism. The book, which included poems like 'Explico algunas cosas' (I Explain Some Things), was published in the midst of the war and became an anthem for Republican supporters worldwide.

Neruda's collection had a profound impact on Spanish and Latin American poetry, establishing the civil war as a major theme in 20th-century verse. The book's fusion of personal testimony and political commitment influenced a generation of poets who saw poetry as a weapon in the struggle against fascism. 'España en el corazón' also cemented Neruda's reputation as one of the great political poets of the century, and its poems continue to be read as classics of anti-fascist literature.