'Write What Should Not be Forgotten'

Chilean-American author Isabel Allende’s latest book My Name is Emilia Del Valle, set during the 1891 Chilean civil war, is the story of a young woman’s search for her identity.

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The novel has the unmistakable hallmarks of Allende’s writing--a free-spirited, feminist heroine; the intricacies of Latin American politics; a staunch commitment to social justice; a pulsing emotional core. Emilia, an immigrant suspended between two worlds, follows her passion for writing and journalism despite the challenges a patriarchal society throws at her. Allende crafts an engaging work of historical fiction, weaving together a unique tapestry of emotions, history and myth.

Her first novel, The House of the Spirits (1982), made literary history by becoming an international bestseller and establishing her as a prominent presence on the male-dominated Latin American literary stage. Since then, Allende, who writes in Spanish and has placed her own stamp on magical realism, has published 27 books. These have been translated into more than 40 languages and have sold over 77 million copies worldwide.

Allende worked as a journalist in Chile in the late 1960s, but had to flee to Venezuela after the Pinochet-led military coup in 1973 toppled Salvador Allende’s democratically elected government. Salvador Allende was her uncle (father’s cousin). Allende and her family lived in exile in Venezuela for the next 13 years, and later moved to the United States, where she is now based. While in exile, her grandfather who was still living in Chile fell critically ill. This prompted her to write a heartfelt letter to him, which later became the basis for her first novel.