Isabel Allende (Peru 1942)

Isabel Allende is one of Latin America's most celebrated literary figuresThe niece of the slain Chilean President Salvador Allende, she writes with an acute sensitivity to social and political conditions as well as the heart of a true romantic.

Born in 1942 in Lima, Peru and raised in Chile, she now makes her home in California. Of her forced exile from Chile following the 1973 coup that resulted in the assassination of her uncle, she says, "I felt that my life had been cut into pieces, and that I had to start over again." The novel that resulted from her new start, The House of the Spirits, is the dazzling saga of three generations of the Trueba family interwoven with the country's troubled history. It was made into a movie starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons.

Allende is considered to be part of the Latin American feminist literary awakening. History and culture have influenced the way in which she writes about her experiences. Historically, female subordination is evident in every Latin American social institution, in large part due to the conception of the Virgin Mary--nurturing, passive, and sexually pure--as the ideal woman. The political realm, therefore, is in role conflict with this image. In fact, there is the perception that women are passive to political issues, and vote merely out of civil duty. In her writing, Allende deals with politics, history, and social institutions in a way that is all but passive.

Biography:: "The House of the Spirits", "Of Love and Shadows", "Eva Luna", "The Infinite Plan", "Paula and Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses" ...