Isabel Allende

Isabel Angélica Allende Llona (Lima, Peru; August 2, 1942) is a Chilean writer with American citizenship, of Spanish and Portuguese descent, and born in Peru. Since 2004, she has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She received her country's National Prize for Literature in 2010. Total sales of her books have reached 73 million copies, and her works have been translated into 42 languages. She is considered the most widely read living Spanish-language author in the world.

The niece and goddaughter of former Chilean president Salvador Allende (1970–1973), she began her writing career as a journalist. Following her uncle's death during the 1973 military coup in Chile and the overthrow of the coalition government, Isabel Allende fled Chile and found refuge in Venezuela. Her debut novel, *La casa de los espíritus* (1985), which grew directly out of her exile, became a worldwide critical and commercial success. She often weaves together elements of myth and realism, in the style known as "magical realism." Her novels are frequently drawn from her own childhood and life experiences.