Growing up in Santiago, Chile, global bestselling novelist Isabel Allende became a storyteller out of necessity. “I was a very good reader,” says Allende, 82. “At the time, there was no TV. I was not allowed to play in the streets and my only entertainment was reading. Books were my great companions. I didn’t write, but I was a good storyteller. I made up stories for my brothers.”
Her publishing career had a telling but ill-fated start. Working as a Spanish translator for English romance novels, Allende was fired for trying to improve the quality of the author’s writing with her own edits, changing lines to make the female characters more dimensional and the plots more compelling.
She later became a journalist, co-founding Paula in 1967, the country’s first feminist magazine, adding its voice to the world’s second feminist wave. “We exposed issues that had never been spoken of in public in Chile, like abortion, infidelity, prostitution,” Allende explains. “It was controversial.”
It wasn’t until she was 40 that worldwide acclaim — almost unheard of for a debut author — followed with the release of her first book, “The House of the Spirits,” in 1982. With elements of both realism and fantasy, it chronicles three generations of the fictional Trueba and del Valle families, set against the ongoing political unrest of an unnamed country in Latin America, widely assumed to be Chile.
It follows the life of the protagonist, Clara, who has supernatural abilities, from childhood through adulthood, and her marriage to Esteban, a ruthless military and political leader. It continues with the lives of their children and grandchildren, coming full circle with Clara’s granddaughter using her grandmother’s journals to seal the family’s commemoration and complete the history.
Despite Clara’s mysticism, much of the book was inspired by the stories Allende’s grandfather told her. She has said “The House of the Spirits” initially started as a letter to him on his deathbed. “I remembered his life and the family anecdotes. My intention was to tell him he could go in peace, because he will never be forgotten. Very soon, I realized that I was not really writing a letter. He died and I kept writing. By the end of the year, I had more than 500 pages. I had written my first novel.”
Photos by Lori Barra
It was an instant bestseller, winning Best Novel of the Year in Chile and translated into more than 20 languages worldwide. It was later adapted into a 1993 movie starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons as Clara and Esteban. The book’s popularity has never waned — to date, it has sold more than 70 million copies, and in July 2024, Prime Video announced it was working on a new adaptation. The debate over its explicitness has also followed. With graphic descriptions of sex and violence, the book has been threatened with bans in schools starting in 1982 and as recently as 2013 in various high school libraries across the United States. Allende has said she considers it “almost an honor that they at least notice that the book exists. It doesn’t affect me at all.”
She has published more than 20 novels since, including “Of Love and Shadows,” “Inés of My Soul” and “Paula,” in memory of her daughter Paula, who died at age 29.
Out of tradition or superstition, Allende always starts new work on Jan. 8, the date she began “House of the Spirits.” “January 8 has been a lucky day for me,” she has said in interviews. “I have started all my books on that day, and all of them have been well received by the readers. I write eight to 10 hours a day until I have a first draft, then I can relax a little. I am very disciplined.”
Her personal life has been as colorful as her work. She was married and divorced twice before meeting her current husband, attorney Roger Cukras.
The couple currently resides in Marin, California. “Each time I fall in love like a teenager,” she remarks. “I married my third husband six years ago, and I hope our love will last until death do us part.” In 2021, she cheekily told The Guardian, “I didn’t anticipate having sex again, let alone getting married!”
In recent years, she’s been more playful and public, appearing on the TV show “Jane the Virgin” and starring in a Vogue fashion shoot. “I have always enjoyed my life and trying new things. Now that I am in my 80s, I am free to do whatever I want.”
Philanthropy is also an important part of her life. The Isabel Allende Foundation — dedicated to her late daughter — focuses on causes that affect women and young girls. “We try to empower them by supporting programs and organizations that offer education, reproductive rights and protection from violence.”
And she’s still a prolific writer, with her latest novel, “My Name Is Emilia Del Valle” set for release in May. When asked why she believes her books resonate so widely, she explains, “I write about emotions and relationships that are common all over the world: death, pain, fear, loyalty, hope, redemption. I believe the world is mysterious — we do not have an explanation for everything, which comes through in my writing.
No matter what,” she says, “I am always writing.”
Where You Can Experience the Life and Work of Isabel Allende
"House of the Spirits" (film)
Released in 1993, the screen adaptation stars Meryl Streep as Clara and Jeremy Irons as Esteban, alongside Glenn Close, Winona Ryder and Antonio Banderas. American Film Critic Roger Ebert called it “a lusty, passionate Latin melodrama, filled with ghosts, magic, poison and romance.” It’s available to stream on Apple TV+, Prime Video, Google Play Movies and Fandango at Home.
"Of Love and Shadows" (film)
This 1994 film version of Allende’s 1984 war drama stars Antonio Banderas opposite Jennifer Connelly. Set against the real-life Augusto Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, Banderas plays a photographer and Connelly plays a magazine editor who risk everything — including their lives — to be together. At the time, Variety praised its “top-notch” performances with “impeccable technical credits and slick editing.” It’s available to stream on Apple TV+, Prime Video, Google Play Movies and Fandango at Home.
"The Intimate Story of Isabel Allende" (TV series)
This three-part biopic depicts Allende’s life with actress Daniela Ramirez in the title role. Allende did not participate in the project but expressed her approval in an interview, saying, “They were really respectful; they told the story they wanted to tell without offending anyone. They were very kind to me.” The series is available on Max.
"The Little Heidelberg" (podcast)
Allende’s short story, published in 1989, was included in NPR’s “Selected Shorts” podcast series in 2023 and narrated by Kathleen Turner. It tells the story of a man and a woman who have shared a dance floor for 40 years yet have never spoken a word to each other. You can listen to it on NPR’s website.