Isabel Allende in an RND interview: “I have more ideas in my head than hours to write.”

Ms. Allende, you start every book on January 8th. Why?

I started my first book on January 8th. I was living in Caracas at the time and received a call that my grandfather was dying in Chile. On January 8th, I started writing him a letter. Even after his death, I continued writing. A year later, I had a novel: "The House of Spirits." The book was very successful from the start. So I started my second book on January 8th, also partly out of superstition. Since then, I've started every book on that day.

So do you think it would be bad luck to start a new book on a different day?

I think so. (laughs) I've written 31 books and started them all on the same day. Why tempt fate? But it's also about discipline. I don't have a boss who sets deadlines for me.

Do you have any other rituals?

No. There are things I do regularly, but also more out of discipline. I get up early, drink coffee, walk the dogs, and then start working. I always dress as if I were going out, even if I'm not. Otherwise, I'd be living in my pajamas. When I'm writing at home, no one sees me. But how I look is important to me.

You just mentioned that your first book, "The House of Spirits," began with a letter to your grandfather. What significance does letter writing have for you?

This is a long-standing habit. My mother was married to a diplomat. We lived apart for almost our entire lives, but we always wrote letters to each other. Later, I archived all the letters and sorted them chronologically. There are 24,000 letters in total. So I don't need a good memory because everything is written down. It's a treasure. But since my mother died in 2018, I hardly write any letters anymore. The days blur together, as if nothing had happened because I didn't write it down.

Today, almost no one writes letters anymore. What is being lost in society as a result?

The world is changing. You can't expect what worked in the 19th century to still work today. We can't cling nostalgically to a past that won't return. Much has been lost, but there are new things.

Artificial intelligence is one of these new technologies. What does AI mean for literature?

A journalist once asked an AI to write a love letter in my style. It was horrible! Cheesy and sentimental. I would never have written anything like that in my life. Artificial intelligence is certainly very helpful in some areas, but in my opinion, it doesn't work in art yet. But that will change at some point.

"My Name Is Emilia del Valle" is Isabel Allende's latest book. It was published in Germany at the beginning of August.

Source: IMAGO/SOPA Images

So you're not afraid that AI will soon replace writers?

Not right now, but it could happen in the future. But why should I worry about something that hasn't happened yet?

Your new book is about a young American journalist who travels to Chile at the end of the 19th century to report on the civil war there. As is often the case in your books, the protagonist is a strong and self-confident woman. Aren't you tempted to write about other characters?

I also have male characters in some books. But I like writing about women because I know them very well. I'm surrounded by strong women. Female voices have been suppressed for centuries. When I started writing in 1981, Latin American literature was booming, but it was all men. There were women who wrote, but they were more or less ignored. The men got all the attention. When I write, I try to give a voice to those who were oppressed—women, children, the poor, and even animals.

Why did you become famous, unlike other Latin American writers?

I was lucky. My book was published during the Latin American literary boom. As I said, there was no female voice, and then I came along. Besides, my name is Allende. After Pinochet's coup, Salvador Allende became an international hero. All of this certainly helped people notice me.

What is a strong woman for you?

For me, a strong woman is someone who doesn't let herself be defeated. My foundation works with many women who have lost everything. Some even their children. Yet they continue to fight and live lives of generosity, sometimes even joy. We also cooperate with organizations working on the Mexican border. Most of the helpers there are women. There's no money or fame there, only heart. And these are precisely the women I'm interested in because no one talks about them. But they're fantastic.

So Emilia goes into the Chilean civil war, a war that many people abroad probably don't even know about...

Not in Chile either. Hardly anyone there really engages with history. Maybe they learn something about it in history class, but then it's usually quickly forgotten.

Isabel Allende has written 31 books to date, one roughly every 18 months. Here she was a guest at "lit.cologne" in 2019.

Source: imago images/APress

Why did you choose this conflict as the setting for your new book?

Because it has parallels to the coup in 1973. In both cases, there was a progressive president who wanted to change a lot. Both encountered massive resistance from the conservative camp, and both times the military intervened. In 1891, this led to a brutal civil war in which more Chileans died within four months than in four years of war against Peru and Bolivia. In 1973, it ended with a coup and 17 years of dictatorship. Both presidents took their own lives rather than surrender or go into exile. I found these parallels so interesting that I wanted to write about them.

You've lived in the United States for almost 40 years. Under Donald Trump, the country seems to be increasingly developing into an authoritarian system. Are you reminded of the coup in Chile?

In Chile, everything happened very suddenly. Within 24 hours, democracy was destroyed. What's happening in the US right now is more similar to the stories of Argentina. There, people gradually lost their rights during the "Dirty War." Americans don't know what an authoritarian regime is because they've never experienced one. We in Latin America do, so I have a more precise idea of what can happen.

How do you feel about this? After all, you already had to flee into exile once.

When I fled Chile, I was afraid. I had two small children, and I didn't want to live in a country where I could be arrested at any time or where my children could be tortured in front of me. Today, I'm 83 years old. What else could happen to me? But I'm afraid for my son and my grandchildren. We're all Latin American immigrants; any one of us could be deported. I don't think it will happen, but anything is possible. The US is a very violent country, historically speaking. Anyone can walk around the street here with a gun.

Can you imagine leaving the US if the situation escalates?

Yes.

What would have to happen for this?

If I felt my son was in danger, for example. As long as I'm here and my foundation can help people, I feel like I have a purpose. But the options are becoming increasingly limited.

The US immigration authorities (ICE) sometimes indiscriminately arrest Latin American immigrants, even those who have never committed a crime. This equates Latin Americans with criminals. What does this say about racism in US society?

These people keep the country running. Sure, there are criminals among them, but very few. It's similar to the Jews in Germany. Everyone was suspected across the board. That's deeply racist, and I think it will get worse.

Isabel Allende has lived in the United States for almost 40 years. During the Chilean military dictatorship, she initially fled to Venezuela. Current developments in the United States are evoking dark memories.

Source: Fernando Sánchez/EUROPA PRESS/d

Latin American countries are further ahead than the United States on many issues. Marriage equality has been legal in Argentina since 2010, and abortions have been legal and free up to the 14th week of pregnancy there since 2021. Nevertheless, the United States is often seen as a pioneer. Are we talking too much about the USA?

The United States has regressed. American democracy is no longer a model. We'll see if Trump achieves his goal, which is to establish a dictatorship that could last for many years. They won't call it that, of course, but that's essentially what it is.

The world is currently spinning backward. What still gives you hope?

Young people. I trust that they will change everything and that we are moving toward a different world. A world of technology and science. That gives me hope.

You recently celebrated your 83rd birthday. What do you envy about this generation?

About all the opportunities they have. Every generation faces different challenges. I believe that every generation contributes something to humanity. Right now, it seems as if we're regressing, but the larger arc of history is toward progress.

You've written 31 books, roughly one every 18 months. Where do you get the strength and inspiration?

The only thing I do is write. It's my life, my world. As long as I'm clear-headed, I want to keep writing. I love it. I have more ideas in my head than hours to write. As I get older, I have less energy, but no fewer ideas.

Is there a story you still want to tell?

No. I never think about what I'll do in the future. I focus on the current project and try to finish it so I can be free again next January 8th. Then I'll see what happens.

And - are you free again for January 8th?

Not at all. I'm currently editing a book I wrote last year. I've also started an autobiography, which I want to finish. So I'm not free at all, but that doesn't matter. As long as I have ideas, time, and the health to write, I'm happy.