Isabel Allende

Who is Isabel Allende?

Isabel Allende is a Chilean-American novelist, widely regarded as one of the most read Spanish-language authors in the world. Born in Lima, Peru, to Chilean parents, she grew up in Chile and worked as a journalist before turning to fiction. She is a relative of former Chilean president Salvador Allende, whom she called uncle. Her debut novel, La casa de los espíritus (The House of the Spirits, 1982), began as a letter to her dying grandfather and became an international bestseller, blending family saga with magical realism and Chilean political history. Following the 1973 coup she went into exile, eventually settling in the United States. Her many acclaimed works include De amor y de sombra (1984), Eva Luna (1987), and the memoir Paula (1994), written after the illness and death of her daughter. Her books have been translated into dozens of languages and sold tens of millions of copies. In 2014 she received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Sources: Isabel Allende, La casa de los espíritus (1982) · Isabel Allende, Paula (1994) · U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2014 recipients, White House archives