Allende, Isabel

Isabel Allende

Born August 2, 1942

Lima, Peru

Writer of novels and memoirs

"I knew exactly what was happening in my country, I lived through it, and the dead, the tortured, the widows and orphans, left an unforgettable impression on my memory."

Beginning in the 1980s with the international success of her first novel, The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende became the best-known contemporary female writer from South America. In her novels and autobiographical works, Allende draws on her experiences to weave together tales of families as well as the effects of social and political pressures. Her writings also feature richly described settings, sometimes with elements of fantasy.

Influenced by Grandparents

Isabel Allende was born in Lima, Peru, in 1942 to Chilean parents. At that time, her father, Tomás, was serving in Peru as a diplomat for the government of Chile. He was a first cousin of Salvador Allende Gossens (1908–1973), who later became president of Chile. Isabel Allende and her mother, Fransisca, maintained close ties with the Allende family even after Tomás abandoned his wife and daughter when Isabel was two years old. Mother and daughter returned to Santiago, Chile, to live with Fransisca's parents.

Allende's mother met another diplomat.

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