Isabel Allende didnāt publish her first book until she was 39, after losing nearly everything in the wake of the Chilean military coup. More than four decades later, sheās become one of the most beloved Spanish-language authors, with over 80 million copies of her books sold worldwide.
After political exile, writing books became Allendeās way of making sense of the world. She wrote through divorce, affairs, and moving across continents. But after the devastating loss of her daughter Paula, even writing felt impossible, until her mother urged her to begin again. āMy mother knew that the only way for me to walk the tunnel of grief was writing,ā she says.
In this episode, Anna and Isabel talk about loss, late starts, and new beginnings. Isabel met her most recent husband, Roger, in her late 70s, āan age when most people are knitting for their great-grandchildren.ā
Allendeās newest novel, āMy Name Is Emilia del Valle,ā is out now.Ā
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