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Isabel Allende

2 August 1942 – present

Isabel Allende is a Chilean-American writer whose first novel, The House of the Spirits, was published in 1982 and established her international reputation. Born in Peru to a Chilean diplomatic family, she worked as a journalist in Santiago before going into exile in Venezuela after the 1973 military coup. She has since published more than twenty books, translated into over forty languages.

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Life events

Born in Lima, Peru
2 August 1942

Born on 2 August 1942 while her father was serving as a Chilean diplomat.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Married Miguel Frías
1962 – 1987

The couple had two children and divorced in 1987.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Relationship ✓
Joined the staff of the magazine Paula
1967

She wrote a satirical column and worked in Chilean magazines and television through the early 1970s.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
Chilean coup d'état and the death of Salvador Allende
11 September 1973

The president, her father's first cousin, died during the coup that brought a military government to power.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Other ✓
Went into exile in Venezuela
1975 – 1988

She lived in Caracas for thirteen years and worked as a school administrator and columnist.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Relocation ✓
Published The House of the Spirits
1982

The novel grew out of a letter begun in 1981 to her dying grandfather in Chile.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Married William Gordon and settled in California
1988 – 2015

She moved to the San Francisco Bay Area; the marriage ended in divorce in 2015.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Relationship ✓
Published the memoir Paula
1994

The book was written during and after the illness and death of her daughter Paula in 1992.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Personal ✓
Awarded Chile's National Prize for Literature
2010

She was the first woman to receive the award in more than twenty years.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
November 2014

The United States honour was presented by President Barack Obama.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓