Author archive

Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende was born on August 2 1942 in Lima, Peru, to Chilean parents and is the goddaughter of former Chilean president Salvador Allende. After her parents’ divorce she lived with her grandparents in Chile, later moving with her mother’s diplomat husband to Bolivia, Lebanon and other posts. She began her career as a journalist in the 1960s‑70s. The 1973 Pinochet coup forced her into exile in Venezuela for 13 years. In 1981 she started a letter to her dying grandfather that became The House of the Spirits (1982), launching a prolific literary career. Allende has written over 20 novels, sold more than 80 million copies, and is celebrated for her magical‑realist, feminist perspective. She founded a global charity for women and girls after her daughter’s death and has received honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.