Isabel Allende's latest historical novel draws from her time at a women's magazine
May 12, 2025
Isabel Allende discusses her new historical novel that highlights the Chilean Civil War through a female writer's perspective. She shares insights on her protagonist, who uses a male pen name to work as a war correspondent. The conversation delves into the feminist spirit in her work and the importance of alternative narratives in literature. Allende reflects on the role of journalism in amplifying marginalized voices and the challenges faced by writers in oppressive climates.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Origin of Emilia's Character
Isabel Allende created Emilia as a female war correspondent using a male pen name to report on Chile's Civil War from a neutral perspective.
She gave Emilia roots in California and Chile to justify her role and mission in the novel.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Isabel's Journalism Beginnings
Isabel Allende started as a journalist at Chile's first feminist magazine, learning her craft with no prior experience.
Like Emilia, she faced the harsh realities of journalism, transitioning from innocence to confronting brutality.
insights INSIGHT
Feminism and Romance Unite
Feminism and romanticism can coexist; one can be fiercely feminist and also deeply romantic and feminine.
Isabel Allende embraces both identities without seeing them as opposites.
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Eva Luna, a captivating novel by Isabel Allende, tells the story of a young woman's journey through life, marked by resilience, love, and loss. Allende masterfully weaves together magical realism and historical events, creating a rich tapestry of experiences. The novel explores themes of identity, social injustice, and the power of storytelling. Eva Luna's experiences as a storyteller and her ability to connect with others through her narratives are central to the plot. The novel's exploration of love, loss, and the enduring human spirit makes it a timeless classic.
My Name Is Emilia Del Valle
Isabel Allende
Set in 1866 San Francisco, the novel follows Emilia del Valle, the daughter of an Irish nun and a Chilean aristocrat, as she defies societal norms to become a journalist. Using a male pseudonym, she publishes fiction before transitioning to investigative reporting. Partnered with colleague Eric Whelan, she travels to Chile to cover the civil war, confronts her estranged father, and navigates love and danger amidst the conflict.
The House of the Spirits
Isabel Allende
The House of the Spirits is a family saga that spans three generations of the Trueba family, set against the backdrop of an unnamed Latin American country's turbulent history, widely recognized as Chile. The novel explores the lives of Esteban Trueba, the volatile and proud patriarch; Clara, his mystical and clairvoyant wife; their daughter Blanca, and her granddaughter Alba. The story delves into themes of class conflict, political upheaval, and the cyclical nature of violence and love within the family. It culminates in a crisis that pits the patriarch against his beloved granddaughter during a military coup, reflecting the broader social and political changes in the country[1][3][5].
While crafting her latest novel, Isabel Allende says she wanted to tell the story of the Chilean Civil War of 1891 from the perspective of a neutral party. She decided to make her protagonist a female writer who uses a male pen name and convinces an editor to hire her as a war correspondent. In today's episode, Allende joins Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes to talk about My Name is Emilia Del Valle. They discuss the feminist spirit throughout the author's body of work, their shared interest in pushing back against dominant narratives, and Fernandes' personal relationship to Allende's work.
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