Isabel Allende
Born in Peru, Isabel Allende was raised in Chile. Allende went into exile after her uncle, Chilean president Salvador Allende, was overthrown in a CIA-assisted coup in 1973. She is the author of novels, short stories, a memoir and a collection of essays. In addition to numerous awards, Allende's novel Daughter of Fortune was chosen as an Oprah book club selection. Her books have been translated into more than 27 languages and have been best sellers in Europe, USA, Latin America and Australia. She lives in northern California.
- Isabel Allende writes all her works in Spanish but has many translators all over the world. She has an especially close relationship with Margaret Sayers Peden who translates her works into English.
- Allende starts writing each of her books on January 8th. That is the day she received the call telling her that her grandfather was dying, and the day she began a letter to him which would eventually become the novel The House of Spirits.
- Allende founded The Paula Foundation in honor of her daughter who died in 1992. The Foundation has concentrated its efforts on education, health, protection and well being, mainly for women and children. It helps support other nonprofit organizations in the United States, Chile, Bangladesh, India and other countries.
- "Wicked Girl," a short story from Isabel Allende's collection Stories of Eva Luna, was adapted into a ballet.