Chilean-American author Isabel Allende바카라s latest book My Name is Emilia Del Valle, set during the 1891 Chilean civil war, is the story of a young woman바카라s search for her identity. The novel has the unmistakable hallmarks of Allende바카라s 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.
Interview|Bestselling Author Isabel Allende on Feminist Heroines, Exile, and Magical Realism
After working as a journalist in Chile and later going into exile following the Pinochet coup, Isabel Allende turned memory and myth into fiction. She speaks to Vineetha Mokkil about the letter that became her first novel and the power of storytelling.
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 Allende바카라s democratically elected government. Salvador Allende was her uncle (father바카라s 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.
Many of her books delve into Chile바카라s past and its political churnings; the travails of immigrants and exiles; and the role of women in Latin American society. Their settings include Chile; the California gold rush; the Venezuelan guerrilla movement of the 60s; the Vietnam War; and the slave revolt in Haiti in the 18th century. She is the recipient of several honours, including the Chilean National Prize in Literature (2010), the US Presidential Medal of Freedom (2014), and the PEN Centre USA바카라s lifetime achievement award. Allende spoke to Vineetha Mokkil about the memories that have shaped her writing and the power of fantasy and myth. Excerpts:
In your new novel, My Name is Emilia Del Valle, set in the 1800s, the heroine is a writer and a journalist. How much of your own personal experiences were woven into this fictional character바카라s journey?
Several people have pointed out that Emilia is my alter ego because she is a journalist and a writer and because she doesn바카라t have a relationship with her biological father, who is replaced by a wonderful stepfather, like in my case. Actually, I was not thinking about any of that when I wrote the book, but the raw material for all my writing is my own experience바카라my memories, the people I meet and the things I care for.
Advertisement
When Emilia convinces her editor to send her to Chile to cover the war, he allots human interest stories to her and 바카라serious바카라 political pieces to her male colleague. Things have changed, but biases are still in play, aren바카라t they? Labels like 바카라woman writer바카라 and 바카라domestic fiction바카라 show no sign of vanishing...
I published my first novel, The House of the Spirits, in l982 during the boom of Latin American Literature바카라a male event. There were no women writers in the boom. Since then, female voices have taken fiction by storm and now we have a boom of women writers in my continent. Women all over the world are publishing great fiction but in general they don바카라t get the same respect as male writers. When we talk about literature, it is assumed that it is written by white males. When an adjective is attached to the noun, it diminishes it, as if all other literatures were less valuable.
Advertisement
You worked for a pioneering feminist magazine in Chile at the start of your career. How did your stint in journalism shape you as a feminist and as a writer?
I think I was a feminist before I started working as a journalist. At the magazine, I learnt an articulate language to express how I felt. We read feminist authors; we wrote about feminist issues. Journalism gave me the tools that I use in my writing today: how to structure a piece, do research, conduct an interview, use language efficiently, work with a deadline.
Anti-immigrant rhetoric is on the rise and immigrants are being demonised in many countries. Can fiction writers help to counter this othering?
There are 120 million refugees in the world, mostly women and children, and the numbers will only increase. It is ironic that today almost everything is global바카라technology, drugs, guns, fashion, commerce, money, science, etc.바카라while people are restricted by boundaries. This is a global problem that needs global solutions. The anti-immigrant rhetoric helps governments to place blame on others. The politics of the Right exacerbates this sentiment. Literature reaches few people. The media and the movies are more powerful in influencing public opinion.
Advertisement
When you write historical fiction, how do you make sure the facts you gather from research don바카라t overwhelm the fictional narrative?
I study the past to understand the present and imagine the future. Once I have done my research, I have the foundation to develop the fictional characters and the story. At the beginning of my writing journey, I would get lost in the research, but now I have learnt to select the highlights to move the story forward. Usually, I have to cut a lot from the first draft.
You once said in an interview that you like to write fiction because you are a 바카라very good liar...바카라
I have a wild imagination. I need very few elements to create a whole fictional universe, that바카라s why I feel so comfortable writing novels. Non-fiction, on the other hand, is much harder for me because I have to stick to the facts. Imagination is a liability in this case. And the most difficult of all is a memoir because it forces me to find a truth within me.
Advertisement
You often blend the real world with the fantastical in your writing. What does magical realism mean to you?
I believe that the world is a very mysterious place. Mystery, myth, spirits, magic all have a place in my life and therefore they are also present in my writing. It바카라s not an artificial device.
I dream a lot. When I am writing바카라and only when I am writing바카라I dream of babies. What happens to the baby in the dream is usually happening to the story I am writing, so I pay attention. For example, if the baby cries in the voice of an old man, I have to check the narrative voice in the book; something is not working.
In the memoir you are working on now, you will share with readers how you found love in your 70s after your second marriage ended. Would you call yourself a romantic?
I am a hopeless romantic. I have done all kinds of stupid things for love and infatuation in my long life. I realise that I can be in love in my old age (I바카라m 82) exactly as I did when I was young but now there is a sense of urgency. Roger [Cukras] and I have very little time left; we have to enjoy it.
When you are writing a book, you shut out the world for the entire duration. How do you maintain this routine in the age of digital distractions?
I have a writing schedule. During the hours that I work on a book there are no distractions, but I spend at least a couple of hours doing interviews, answering the mail, dealing with the office and the foundation [The Isabel Allende Foundation, started in 1996, to pay homage to Allende바카라s daughter Paula Frias who passed away]. I don바카라t do social media, my office does it for me.
Have you ever considered writing a book in English?
I write fiction only in Spanish but I can write non-fiction in both languages. Right now, I am writing my memoir on a split screen: Spanish on the left, English on the right.
Show comments