Introduction


Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende’s writing is magical. Not only a powerful force in Latin American literature, Allende is also closely associated with the style of magic realism. In magic realist works, real life is seamlessly intermingled with myth, fantasy, and poetry. Allende’s writing is further known for its adoption and expansion of the female perspective. In Allende’s works, women characters are thoughtful, spiritual, and complex. Her most successful novel, The House of the Spirits, integrates a familial story with a larger political parable about the state of Latin America in the late twentieth century. In works such as City of the Beasts and Paula, Allende also achieves a unique balance of the political and the personal.

Essential Facts

  1. Allende’s father’s cousin was the president of Chile in the early 1970s. Following his ousting, Allende and her family fled to Venezuela for asylum.
  2. Reportedly, Allende gave up her career in journalism and broadcasting at the urging of famed poet Pablo Neruda, who was struck by her innate creativity.
  3. In 2003, Allende became a citizen of the United States.
  4. Both the novels The House of the Spirits and Paula began as letters to members of Allende’s family. She later developed them into full-length books.
  5. Allende’s The House of The Spirits was adapted into a 1993 film that was critically and commercially panned. Moviegoers had trouble believing Jeremy Irons and Winona Ryder—despite their A-list status—were Latinos.