WRITER

Isabel Allende

1942 - Today

Photo of Isabel Allende

Icon of person Isabel Allende

Isabel Angélica Allende Llona (Latin American Spanish: [isaˈβel aˈʝende] ; born 2 August 1942) is a Chilean-American writer. Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the genre magical realism, is known for novels such as The House of the Spirits (La casa de los espíritus, 1982) and City of the Beasts (La ciudad de las bestias, 2002), which have been commercially successful. Allende has been called "the world's most widely read Spanish-language author." In 2004, Allende was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 2010, she received Chile's National Literature Prize. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Isabel Allende has received more than 3,576,675 page views. Her biography is available in 71 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 70 in 2019). Isabel Allende is the 238th most popular writer (up from 254th in 2019), the 4th most popular biography from Peru (down from 3rd in 2019) and the 2nd most popular Peruvian Writer.

Isabel Allende is most famous for her novel "The House of the Spirits," which tells the story of three generations of women in her family.

Memorability Metrics

  • 3.6M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 71.64

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 71

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 6.49

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.98

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

El plan infinito
Paula
Authors, Chilean
Presents the story of Allende's ancestors and youth as it was written by her daughter's hospital bedside, reflecting the challenges and achievements of one family during a turbulent time in Chilean history. 100,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo. BOMC Alt. Tour.
Eva Luna
Hija de la fortuna
La casa de los espíritus
De amor y de sombra
Fiction
This profoundly moving tale of love, bravery, and tragedy by New York Times bestselling author Isabel Allende brings to life a country ruled with an iron fist—and the men and women who dare to challenge it. Irene Beltrán is a force to be reckoned with. As a magazine journalist, an unusual profession for a woman with her privileged upbringing, she is constantly challenging the oppressive regime. Her investigative partner is photographer Francisco Leal, the son of impoverished Spanish Marxist émigrés. Together, they are an inseparable team and—despite Irene’s engagement to an army captain—form a passionate connection. When an assignment leads them to uncover an unspeakable crime, they are determined to reveal the truth in a nation overrun by terror and violence. Together, they will risk everything for justice—and, ultimately, to embrace the passion that binds them.
La casa de los espíritus
Chilean literature, Translations into English, Spanish American literature
Primera novela de Isabel Allende. *La casa de los espíritus* narra la saga de una poderosa familia de terratenientes latinoamericanos. El despótico patriarca Esteban Trueba ha construido, con mano de hierro, un imperio privado que empieza a tambalearse a raíz del paso del tiempo y de un entorno social explosivo. Finalmente, la decadencia personal del patriarca arrastrará a los Trueba a una dolorosa desintegración. Atrapados en unas dramáticas relaciones familiares, los personajes de esta portentosa novela encarnan las tensiones sociales y espirituales de una época que abarca gran parte de este siglo. *La casa de los espíritus* ha sido adaptada al cine en una película protagonizada, entre otros, por Jerermy Irons, Meryl Streep y Antonio Banderas.Con ternura e impecable factura literaria, Isabel Allende perfila el destino de sus personajes como parte indisoluble del destino colectivo de un continente, marcado por el mestizaje, las injusticias sociales y la búsqueda de la propia identidad. Este logrado universo narrativo es el resultado de una lúcida conciencia histórica y social, así como de una propuesta estética que constituye una singular expresión de realismo mágico.
Retrato en sepia
Families, Fiction, History
Una obra de extraordinaria dimension humana que eleva la narrativa de la autora a cotas de perfeccion literariaNarrada en la voz de una joven mujer, esta es una magnifica novela historica, situada a finales del siglo XIX en Chile, y una portentosa saga familiar en la que reencontramos algunos personajes de Hija de la fortun a y de La casa de los espiritus, novelas cumbre en la obra de Isabel Allende. El tema principal es la memoria y los secretos de familia. La protagonista, Aurora del Valle, sufre un trauma brutal que determina su caracter y borra de su mente los primeros cinco años de su vida. Criada por su ambiciosa abuela, Paulina del Valle, crece en un ambiente privilegiado, libre de muchas de las limitaciones que oprimen a las mujeres de su epoca, pero atormentada por horribles pesadillas. Cuando debe afrontar la traicion del hombre que ama y la soledad, decide explorar el misterio de su pasado. Una obra de extraordinaria dimension humana que eleva la narrativa de la autora a cotas de perfeccion literaria.
Eva Luna
Spanish language books, Spanish fiction, Storytellers
The history of a woman born poor, orphaned early, and who eventually rose to a position of unique influence.
Hija de la fortuna
Gold mines and mining, Fiction, History
A Chilean woman searches for her lover in the goldfields of 1840s California. Arriving as a stowaway, Eliza finances her search with various jobs, including playing the piano in a brothel
De amor y de sombra
Spanish fiction, Disappeared persons, NOVELAS CHILENAS
En palabras de la propia Isabel Allende, *De amor y de sombra* «es la historia de una mujer y un hombre que se amaron en plenitud, salvándose así de una historia vulgar. La he llevado en la memoria cuidándola para que el tiempo no la desgaste, y es sólo ahora cuando puedo finalmente contarla. Lo haré por ellos y por otros que me confiaron sus vidas para que no las borre el viento...». Escrita durante su exilio en Venezuela, el amor entre Irene y Francisco es un alegato apasionado a favor de la fe en la libertad y la dignidad humanas. Fue el segundo gran éxito de Allende después de *La casa de los espíritus.*
El plan infinito
Hispanic Americans, Spanish language books, Fiction
Story of Gregory Reeves's search for love and his attempt to reconcile his past which included poverty, neglect, war, and abusive relationships with his current strivings for success and peace of mind.

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Isabel Allende ranks 238 out of 7,302Before her are Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Chinghiz Aitmatov, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Jaroslav Hašek, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Frédéric Mistral. After her are Jacob Grimm, Nikos Kazantzakis, Fuzûlî, Robert Musil, John Milton, and Saadi Shirazi.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1942, Isabel Allende ranks 17Before her are Harrison Ford, Jimi Hendrix, Ratko Mladić, Scatman John, Ehud Barak, and Dino Zoff. After her are Peter Handke, Barbra Streisand, Brian Wilson, Ronnie James Dio, John Wayne Gacy, and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

Others Born in 1942

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In Peru

Among people born in Peru, Isabel Allende ranks 4 out of 287Before her are Atahualpa (1502), Lina Medina (1933), and Mario Vargas Llosa (1936). After her are Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (1920), Carlos Castaneda (1925), Alberto Fujimori (1938), Túpac Amaru (1545), Manco Cápac (1250), Rose of Lima (1586), Pachacuti (1380), and Túpac Amaru II (1738).

Others born in Peru

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Among WRITERS In Peru

Among writers born in Peru, Isabel Allende ranks 2Before her are Mario Vargas Llosa (1936). After her are Carlos Castaneda (1925), Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (1539), César Vallejo (1892), Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala (1535), José Carlos Mariátegui (1894), José María Arguedas (1911), Ricardo Palma (1833), Ciro Alegría (1909), Julio Ramón Ribeyro (1929), and Alfredo Bryce (1939).