Isabel Allende
Author of The House of the Spirits
About the Author
Isabel Allende was born in 1942 in Lima, Peru, the daughter of a Chilean diplomat. When her parents separated, young Isabel moved with her mother to Chile, where she spent the rest of her childhood. She married at the age of 19 and had two children, Paula and Nicolas. Her uncle was Salvador show more Allende, the president of Chile. When he was overthrown in the coup of 1973, she fled Chile, moving to Caracas, Venezuela. While living in Venezuela, Allende began writing her novels, many of them exploring the close family bonds between women. Her first novel, The House of the Spirits, has been translated into 27 languages, and was later made into a film. She then wrote Of Love and Shadows, Eva Luna, and The Stories of Eva Luna, all set in Latin America. The Infinite Plan was her first novel to take place in the United States. She explores the issues of human rights and the plight of immigrants and refugees in her novel, In The Midst of Winter. In Paula, Allende wrote her memoirs in connection with her daughter's illness and death. She delved into the erotic connections between food and love in Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses. In addition to writing books, Allende has worked as a TV interviewer, magazine writer, school administrator, and a secretary at a U.N. office in Chile. She received the 1996 Harold Washington Literacy Award. She lives in California. Her title Maya's Notebook made The New York Times Best Seller List in 2013. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:
Isabel Allende Llona (b. 1942), Chilean born novelist (US citizen since 2003). Do not confuse with María Isabel Allende Bussi (b. 1945), daughter of former Chilean president Salvador Allende; cousin of the novelist.
Series
Works by Isabel Allende
Paths of Resistance: The Art and Craft of the Political Novel (1989) — Contributor — 26 copies, 1 review
[unidentified works] 12 copies
Two Words 5 copies
Giving Birth, Finding Form: Three Writers Explore Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Art (1993) 4 copies
Clarisa [short story] 2 copies
El sexo y yo 2 copies
The Girls 1 copy
Um lugar sem nome 1 copy
Cuentos Selectos 1 copy
Entrevista 1 copy
Impunity 1 copy
mio zio, un eroe del secolo 1 copy
Abuela Panchita, La 1 copy
The Little Heidelberg 1 copy
Revenge 1 copy
Simple María 1 copy
The Judge's Wife 1 copy
Passie en liefde 1 copy
Xứ Sở Của Người Tiền Sử 1 copy
Associated Works
Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent (1971) — Foreword, some editions — 3,198 copies, 43 reviews
The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction (1976) — Contributor — 1,216 copies, 3 reviews
This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (2006) — Contributor — 1,144 copies, 36 reviews
My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop (2012) — Contributor — 617 copies, 16 reviews
The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror 2006: 19th Annual Collection (2006) — Contributor — 244 copies, 4 reviews
Other Voices, Other Vistas: Short Stories from Africa, China, India, Japan, and Latin America (1992) — Contributor — 212 copies, 2 reviews
Why We Write: 20 Acclaimed Authors on How and Why They Do What They Do (2013) — Contributor — 206 copies, 10 reviews
I Should Have Stayed Home: The Worst Trips of the Great Writers (1994) — Contributor — 188 copies, 5 reviews
Short Stories by Latin American Women: The Magic and the Real (1990) — Foreword; Contributor — 165 copies
A Hammock Beneath the Mangoes: Stories from Latin America (1991) — Contributor — 162 copies, 3 reviews
The Sweet Breathing of Plants: Women Writing on the Green World (2001) — Contributor — 100 copies, 1 review
Living with Shakespeare: Essays by Writers, Actors, and Directors (2013) — Contributor — 96 copies, 4 reviews
Sudden Fiction Latino: Short-Short Stories from the United States and Latin America (2010) — Contributor — 77 copies, 15 reviews
Face to Face: Women Writers on Faith, Mysticism, and Awakening (2004) — Contributor — 39 copies, 1 review
The Faber Book of Contemporary Latin American Short Stories (1989) — Contributor — 27 copies, 1 review
Secret Weavers: Stories of the Fantastic by Women Writers of Argentina and Chile (1991) — Contributor — 25 copies
Introducción a la literatura hispanoamericana : de la conquista al siglo XX (1997) — Contributor — 23 copies
Die Geschichtenerzähler: Neues und Unbekanntes von Allende bis Zafón (suhrkamp taschenbuch) (2008) — Contributor — 5 copies
Fotspår : noveller ur Sveriges radio P1:s serie Författarskap på fötter (2003) — Contributor — 5 copies
New Internationalist #535: January-February 2022: Romani Lives Matter (2022) — Interviewee — 2 copies
Abarat and Other Fantasy Tales for Teens: Abarat, City of the Beasts, Coraline (2002) — some editions — 2 copies
Å herregud, mitt i semestern : en antologi : [möten med sjukdom, lidande och vård] (1999) — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Allende Llona, Isabel Angélica
- Birthdate
- 1942-08-02
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- novelist
translator
dramatist
journalist
teacher (literature)
reporter (show all 9)
documentary filmmaker
TV personality
poet - Organizations
- Isabel Allende Foundation
- Awards and honors
- Academia Chilena de la Lengua (member, 1989)
Gabriela Mistral Order of Merit (1994)
Feminist of the Year Award (1994)
Academia de Artes y Ciencias (member, 1995)
Dorothy and Lilian Gish Prize (1998)
American Academy of Arts and Letters (2004) (show all 17)
Flag Bearer, Olympics Opening Ceremony (2006)
Honorary Degree, D.H.L. (San Francisco State University, 2008)
Cervantes Institute, Spain (Patronato, 2009)
National Prize for Literature Chile (2010)
Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award (2012)
Carl Sandburg Literary Award (2013)
Honorary Degree, D.Litt. (Harvard University ∙ 2014)
Honorary Degree, University of Santiago (2015)
PEN Center Lifetime Achievement Award (USA, 2016)
Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award (2017)
University of Oxford Bodley Medal (2025) - Relationships
- Allende, Salvador (cousin)
- Short biography
- Born in Peru and raised in Chile, Isabel Allende is the author of eight novels, including, most recently, Violeta, Zorro, Portrait in Sepia, and Daughter of Fortune. She has also written a collection of stories; three memoirs, including My Invented Country and Paula; and a trilogy of children's novels. Her books have been translated into more than twenty-seven languages and have become bestsellers across four continents. In 2004 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Isabel Allende lives in California.
- Nationality
- Peru (birth)
USA (naturalized)
Chile (naturalized) - Birthplace
- Lima, Peru
- Places of residence
- Lima, Peru
Santiago, Chile
Brussels, Belgium
Caracas, Venezuela
San Francisco, California, USA
Beirut, Lebanon (show all 9)
La Paz, Bolivia
San Rafael, California, USA
Spain - Map Location
- Chile
- Disambiguation notice
- Isabel Allende Llona (b. 1942), Chilean born novelist (US citizen since 2003).
Do not confuse with María Isabel Allende Bussi (b. 1945), daughter of former Chilean president Salvador Allende; cousin of the novelist.
Members
Discussions
November 2018: Isabel Allende in Monthly Author Reads (October 2021)
Group Read, October 2016: Of Love and Shadows in 1001 Books to read before you die (October 2016)
Monthly Author Read for September in Monthly Author Reads (September 2011)
Reviews
The Wind Knows My Name, written by Isabel Allende and translated by Frances Riddle, is a twin timeline novel that follows two families surviving circumstances that required leaving their homelands.
If you enjoy Allende's writing and, in particular, the way she puts so much detail into every scene, this will not disappoint you. Her characters are also well-developed, though to different extents depending on where they fall in the timeline. The ones we need to know best, in order to understand show more the trauma passed from generation to generation, are the most developed. As is her norm, this is not a fast action-packed novel. It is well-paced and methodical, bringing the reader along but making sure we have a chance to take in as much as possible along the way.
It is hard to separate the story as story from the story as a social statement. With the immigration issues that are in the news so much today, whether caused by violence or political persecution or climate change, this novel serves to help readers remember that these are human beings, including children, and not just numbers. If your ethical or spiritual belief system includes any form of compassion, you should want to help these people, not pretend that your system or religion ends with your country's border. If you're just a hypocrite, then you're comfortable claiming some high ground while condemning people to suffer. Obviously none of your religion's key figures was ever a refugee or immigrant, right?
I recommend this to readers who enjoy novels that use excellent descriptions of both locations and characters to create a story. If you're content with much of the action being mental and emotional, then you'll enjoy this.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less
If you enjoy Allende's writing and, in particular, the way she puts so much detail into every scene, this will not disappoint you. Her characters are also well-developed, though to different extents depending on where they fall in the timeline. The ones we need to know best, in order to understand show more the trauma passed from generation to generation, are the most developed. As is her norm, this is not a fast action-packed novel. It is well-paced and methodical, bringing the reader along but making sure we have a chance to take in as much as possible along the way.
It is hard to separate the story as story from the story as a social statement. With the immigration issues that are in the news so much today, whether caused by violence or political persecution or climate change, this novel serves to help readers remember that these are human beings, including children, and not just numbers. If your ethical or spiritual belief system includes any form of compassion, you should want to help these people, not pretend that your system or religion ends with your country's border. If you're just a hypocrite, then you're comfortable claiming some high ground while condemning people to suffer. Obviously none of your religion's key figures was ever a refugee or immigrant, right?
I recommend this to readers who enjoy novels that use excellent descriptions of both locations and characters to create a story. If you're content with much of the action being mental and emotional, then you'll enjoy this.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less
"She did not believe that the world was a vale of tears but rather a joke that God played and that it was idiotic to take it seriously."
Set in an unnamed country (but almost certainly Chile)'The House of the Spirits' follows three generations of the Trueba family. The book opens with the story of the del Valles and their young daughters, Rosa and Clara. Rosa is extremely beautiful whereas Clara is unusual in that she has a talent for clairvoyance and the ability to play the piano without show more lifting its lid. One day Clara predicts the death of Rosa who at the time is the fiancée of Esteban Trueba, the central male character.
At the time Esteban was away mining for gold in a remote part of the country in the hope of making a quick fortune so that he can marry Rosa. But after Rosa's sudden demise he decides to give up this get rich quick scheme and return to his long neglected ancestral estate, Tres Marias. There Estaban establishes himself as patron and his capacity for brutality and cruelty are brought into sharp focus but through sheer determination and hard work he turns Tres Marias's fortunes around making himself wealthy in the process.
After a number of years away Estaban asks her family for Clara's hand in marriage (as she had foreseen). It is here that the story really begins to kick into gear as a number of parallel story lines are introduced, most notably after the birth of Esteban and Clara’s three children, a daughter Blanca, twin sons Jaime and Nicolas and our third Trueba generation – Blanca’s daughter, Alba.
In what is essentially the second part of the novel, the family relocate back to the city where Esteban decides to become involved in politics becoming a Senator and an outspoken enemy of Socialist and Communist ideals whilst Alba embarks simultaneously on a love affair with a revolutionary.
The climax of the novel sees the country undergoing a military coup compelling Esteban to question the principles of class superiority and self-interest that have motivated his actions thus far in the process realising that it is impossible to escape the demons that we create.
This is an epic family saga that details not only the lives of the three generations of one family, but also the history of a nation providing a social narrative from a personal perspective exploring the themes of class-conflict and the cycle of violence.
I am a real fan of historical based novels but the fact that Allende leaves key places and figures anonymous means that anyone can appreciate the book without having to know its historical background. But to give it some context, Isabel Allende is the granddaughter of Salvador Allende, the socialist president of Chile deposed by a military coup. Therefore ‘The House of the Spirits’ is fundamentally a political novel. But it is not political in the sense that it supports one particular side over another but instead looks at what social conflict can do to a country – where a break-down of understanding between people can lead a state where common humanity is forgotten.
I must admit to approaching this book with some trepidation beforehand but thankfully,despite its title, this novel keeps its magical realism element of it down to a manageable level. Instead we get to invest in the Trueba family, to feel their despair and grief but also get to laugh along with them. This is a complex story that the reader has to invest in to but it is also a beautiful piece of writing and one that I will certainly remember. show less
Set in an unnamed country (but almost certainly Chile)'The House of the Spirits' follows three generations of the Trueba family. The book opens with the story of the del Valles and their young daughters, Rosa and Clara. Rosa is extremely beautiful whereas Clara is unusual in that she has a talent for clairvoyance and the ability to play the piano without show more lifting its lid. One day Clara predicts the death of Rosa who at the time is the fiancée of Esteban Trueba, the central male character.
At the time Esteban was away mining for gold in a remote part of the country in the hope of making a quick fortune so that he can marry Rosa. But after Rosa's sudden demise he decides to give up this get rich quick scheme and return to his long neglected ancestral estate, Tres Marias. There Estaban establishes himself as patron and his capacity for brutality and cruelty are brought into sharp focus but through sheer determination and hard work he turns Tres Marias's fortunes around making himself wealthy in the process.
After a number of years away Estaban asks her family for Clara's hand in marriage (as she had foreseen). It is here that the story really begins to kick into gear as a number of parallel story lines are introduced, most notably after the birth of Esteban and Clara’s three children, a daughter Blanca, twin sons Jaime and Nicolas and our third Trueba generation – Blanca’s daughter, Alba.
In what is essentially the second part of the novel, the family relocate back to the city where Esteban decides to become involved in politics becoming a Senator and an outspoken enemy of Socialist and Communist ideals whilst Alba embarks simultaneously on a love affair with a revolutionary.
The climax of the novel sees the country undergoing a military coup compelling Esteban to question the principles of class superiority and self-interest that have motivated his actions thus far in the process realising that it is impossible to escape the demons that we create.
This is an epic family saga that details not only the lives of the three generations of one family, but also the history of a nation providing a social narrative from a personal perspective exploring the themes of class-conflict and the cycle of violence.
I am a real fan of historical based novels but the fact that Allende leaves key places and figures anonymous means that anyone can appreciate the book without having to know its historical background. But to give it some context, Isabel Allende is the granddaughter of Salvador Allende, the socialist president of Chile deposed by a military coup. Therefore ‘The House of the Spirits’ is fundamentally a political novel. But it is not political in the sense that it supports one particular side over another but instead looks at what social conflict can do to a country – where a break-down of understanding between people can lead a state where common humanity is forgotten.
I must admit to approaching this book with some trepidation beforehand but thankfully,despite its title, this novel keeps its magical realism element of it down to a manageable level. Instead we get to invest in the Trueba family, to feel their despair and grief but also get to laugh along with them. This is a complex story that the reader has to invest in to but it is also a beautiful piece of writing and one that I will certainly remember. show less
If you asked me to describe MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE in three words, I might pick adventure, violence, with a bit of romance. But these words don’t really do justice to this novel. Reading this book gave me a chance to meet a determined woman who flaunts the rules and winds up living through exceptional experiences, both good and bad. Awarded four stars but if I could I would go to 4.5.
Written in the style of an autobiography, MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE is Emilia’s first person show more account of her life through her mid twenties. (Might there be a sequel?) In Chile in the early 1890s she is a fiercely independent woman, bucking all the social conventions at a time when the only acceptable roles for women in this deeply Catholic society were marriage and motherhood.
But after an intellectually rigorous upbringing, courtesy of a loving stepfather, Emilia aspires to earn her own living as a writer — unheard of for a woman at this time. After finding success writing 10-cent novels using a male pseudonym, Emilia becomes a journalist, where she hopes to be able to report using her own name. One of her early assignments is to cover the feature side of Chile’s increasing political tension, partnered with a more experienced journalist who will cover the news side.
Aside from Emilia’s ambition and commitment to lead a non-traditional life, the novel tells a second story of the South American country of Chile itself. It’s a story of European Colonialism and the Chilean Civil War of 1891 -- a fight for power between the President of Chile, José Manuel Balmaceda and the country's legislative congress. Wealthy European settlers generally support Balmaceda while impoverished and indigenous people side with Congress. Like the American Civil War, this was a savage conflict.
As with all her books, Isabel Allende’s language is beautiful. (Credit certainly also goes to translator Frances Riddle.) The passages describing battles that Emilia witnesses are so vivid that they are painful to read and I occasionally found the need to take a break. Likewise, descriptions of wild and remote areas in the Andes Mountains are equally powerful and you will long to visit what must have been a true paradise.
The only reason I did not award five stars to MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE is because I found the start of the book dragged a bit. But by midway, I was frantically turning pages, both eager and nervous to find out what would happen next. Highly recommended. show less
Written in the style of an autobiography, MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE is Emilia’s first person show more account of her life through her mid twenties. (Might there be a sequel?) In Chile in the early 1890s she is a fiercely independent woman, bucking all the social conventions at a time when the only acceptable roles for women in this deeply Catholic society were marriage and motherhood.
But after an intellectually rigorous upbringing, courtesy of a loving stepfather, Emilia aspires to earn her own living as a writer — unheard of for a woman at this time. After finding success writing 10-cent novels using a male pseudonym, Emilia becomes a journalist, where she hopes to be able to report using her own name. One of her early assignments is to cover the feature side of Chile’s increasing political tension, partnered with a more experienced journalist who will cover the news side.
Aside from Emilia’s ambition and commitment to lead a non-traditional life, the novel tells a second story of the South American country of Chile itself. It’s a story of European Colonialism and the Chilean Civil War of 1891 -- a fight for power between the President of Chile, José Manuel Balmaceda and the country's legislative congress. Wealthy European settlers generally support Balmaceda while impoverished and indigenous people side with Congress. Like the American Civil War, this was a savage conflict.
As with all her books, Isabel Allende’s language is beautiful. (Credit certainly also goes to translator Frances Riddle.) The passages describing battles that Emilia witnesses are so vivid that they are painful to read and I occasionally found the need to take a break. Likewise, descriptions of wild and remote areas in the Andes Mountains are equally powerful and you will long to visit what must have been a true paradise.
The only reason I did not award five stars to MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE is because I found the start of the book dragged a bit. But by midway, I was frantically turning pages, both eager and nervous to find out what would happen next. Highly recommended. show less
I don't know what to say about this.
On one hand the story is gorgeous and lyrically written.
On the other hand the author includes a ton of antiblackness.
In a story about chattel slavery and the single most successful uprising against chattel slavery in recorded history.
The author makes a lot of effort portraying the black Haitians as pitiless but doesn't go to the trouble of accurately portraying the nightmare that chattel slavery was everywhere, but most especially on the islands.
I think show more enslaved blacks in Haiti lived an average of 3 years, due to the extremely brutal nature of chattel slavery as practiced on the island and the relative ease of replacing chattel slaves.
White Haitians packed enslaved Haitians anuses with gun powder when bored. None of this behavior makes it into the novel.
The novel pretends chattel slavery in Haiti was comparable to US style chattel slavery, when that's not historically accurate.
In addition the author repeatedly conflates indentured servitude with chattel slavery.
This is the equivalent of comparing the US Concentration Camps-where we illegally and inhumanely held Japanese Americans in captivity during WWII with the Nazi Concentration Camps. See what I did there? Clearly both behaviors were horrid, both are based on xenophobia and yet one is understood to be far worse than the other.
The same is true of chattel slavery in comparison to indentured servitude.
Both are crimes against humanity and both are wrong.
Making the case that indentured servitude is equivalent to chattel slavery is both slavery apologist and a support of white supremacy.
The KKK supports the theory that the "Irish" were slaves under indentured servitude.
To find a writer billed as a POC pushing white supremacist lies is jarring.
It is important to note that being born in South America doesn't make you a POC and my assumption is this author is white. Certainly she is antiblack and a slavery apologist.
This book is horrible and I have no clue how no one has called the author on her blatant racism. show less
On one hand the story is gorgeous and lyrically written.
On the other hand the author includes a ton of antiblackness.
In a story about chattel slavery and the single most successful uprising against chattel slavery in recorded history.
The author makes a lot of effort portraying the black Haitians as pitiless but doesn't go to the trouble of accurately portraying the nightmare that chattel slavery was everywhere, but most especially on the islands.
I think show more enslaved blacks in Haiti lived an average of 3 years, due to the extremely brutal nature of chattel slavery as practiced on the island and the relative ease of replacing chattel slaves.
White Haitians packed enslaved Haitians anuses with gun powder when bored. None of this behavior makes it into the novel.
The novel pretends chattel slavery in Haiti was comparable to US style chattel slavery, when that's not historically accurate.
In addition the author repeatedly conflates indentured servitude with chattel slavery.
This is the equivalent of comparing the US Concentration Camps-where we illegally and inhumanely held Japanese Americans in captivity during WWII with the Nazi Concentration Camps. See what I did there? Clearly both behaviors were horrid, both are based on xenophobia and yet one is understood to be far worse than the other.
The same is true of chattel slavery in comparison to indentured servitude.
Both are crimes against humanity and both are wrong.
Making the case that indentured servitude is equivalent to chattel slavery is both slavery apologist and a support of white supremacy.
The KKK supports the theory that the "Irish" were slaves under indentured servitude.
To find a writer billed as a POC pushing white supremacist lies is jarring.
It is important to note that being born in South America doesn't make you a POC and my assumption is this author is white. Certainly she is antiblack and a slavery apologist.
This book is horrible and I have no clue how no one has called the author on her blatant racism. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 85
- Also by
- 47
- Members
- 84,659
- Popularity
- #131
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 2,076
- ISBNs
- 2,507
- Languages
- 38
- Favorited
- 319
