Copper Canyon Press has acquired the U.S. rights to a manuscript of lost poems by Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda.

Discovered by archivists with the Pablo Neruda Foundation in the summer of 2014, just after the April 2013 exhumation of his body in Chile, this collection of poems has been called "a literary event of universal importance" and "the biggest find in Spanish literature in recent years" by British newspaper The Guardian.

"As one of North America's premier independent publishers of poetry, our entire organization got behind this acquisition enthusiastically. That enthusiasm, along with our ongoing dedication to Neruda, has been acknowledged by the Neruda estate - and we're honored they've chosen us for this important project," said Editor-in-Chief Michael Wiegers.

The collection, "Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda," scheduled for release in April 2016, is to be translated by Pulitzer finalist Forrest Gander, and include full-color, facsimile presentations of Neruda's handwritten poems.

The nonprofit publisher has launched a special appeal to raise financial support to take advantage of this historic opportunity.

"We are grateful to several visionary patrons who responded to the exciting news by providing the funding we needed to successfully bid on and acquire the book," said copublisher George Knotek.

With the rights to the manuscript secured, Copper Canyon now turns to Neruda readers and its community of poetry supporters to help publish this extraordinary work. "We will be taking special care to translate, design and produce a book which honors the legacy of Pablo Neruda and hopefully delights his followers. We will be reaching out to thousands of readers through a crowdfunding appeal, The Lost Neruda Poems Project," Knotek said.

Based on its backlist of Neruda titles, Copper Canyon Press is called "the house that Neruda built." His books have long been featured on Copper Canyon's list of best-sellers - 10 different Neruda collections by three translators, including "The Heights of Macchu Picchu" (2014) and "The Book of Questions" (2001). Copper Canyon was also awarded the rights to publish Neruda's first book, "Crepusculario," which has also never appeared in the the U.S. in English translation.

For more information, contact Kelly Forsythe, director of publicity, at kelly@coppercanyonpress.org, or visit lostnerudapoems.org.

ABOUT PABLO NERUDA

Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean writer and politician Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. With his works translated into many languages, Neruda is considered one of the greatest and most influential poets of the 20th century. Neruda was accomplished in a variety of styles ranging from erotically charged love poems, such as his collection "Twenty Poems of Love and a Song of Despair," surrealist poems, historical epics and overtly political manifestos.

In 1971, Neruda won the Nobel Prize for Literature, a controversial award because of his political activism. Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez once called him "the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language."