Pagineborn 1942 · Lima, Peru (Chilean) · also known as Allende
Isabel Allende is one of the most widely read Spanish-language authors alive. A journalist who left Chile after the 1973 coup that overthrew her father’s cousin, President Salvador Allende, she began The House of the Spirits (1982) as a letter to her dying grandfather; the saga of the Trueba family became an international bestseller. She has written more than twenty books, including Eva Luna and Paula.
Begin with The House of the Spirits.
Part of our Latin American Classics reading list — print it, email it to yourself or share it.
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · Machado de Assis · Rubén Darío · Horacio Quiroga · Gabriela Mistral · Jorge Luis Borges · Pablo Neruda · Juan Rulfo · Julio Cortázar · Gabriel García Márquez · Mario Vargas Llosa
Isabel Allende is one of the most widely read Spanish-language authors alive. A journalist who left Chile after the 1973 coup that overthrew her father’s cousin, President Salvador Allende, she began The House of the Spirits (1982) as a letter to her dying grandfather; the saga of the Trueba family became an international bestseller.
The House of the Spirits is usually considered Isabel Allende’s best-known work, followed by Eva Luna, Paula.
Most readers start with The House of the Spirits.
Both refer to the same writer.
Isabel Allende’s books are still under copyright, so they are not free to download, but many can be borrowed free from your public library or Open Library — we link to them below.