Renowned author Isabel Allende talked candidly about grief and love at a conversation hosted by UC Berkeley’s Arts Research Center on Wednesday.
Allende, who is now 83 years old, is from Chile. She was forced into exile after the military coup and subsequent assassination of her uncle, President Salvador Allende. She has since written nearly 30 books, most famously, “The House of the Spirits” in 1982.
Her most recent book, “My Name Is Emilia del Valle,” was published earlier this year. Signed copies of the book were available to purchase from local bookstore Pegasus Books at the event.
Morrison Library, where the talk took place, was packed, with some students even peering down from the library’s balcony to catch a glimpse of Allende.
According to Sara Guyer, campus dean of arts and humanities and professor of English — who moderated the conversation — Allende’s event was particularly significant, as it marked the 25th anniversary of the Arts Research Center.
“(Beth Piatote), the director of the Arts Research Center … wanted to invite someone who really represented the full vision of the Arts Research Center,” Guyer said. “Someone for whom arts is a form of research, and also research is a part of their arts, someone whose audience is wide-ranging, who can speak to art as a core part of human experience.”
In moderating the conversation, Guyer asked Allende about the details of her writing process and how her experiences with displacement, authoritarianism and loss have influenced her work and life.
Allende identified a connection between her succinct writing style and her experience with displacement, in both having to leave Chile at a young age and more recently, when she divorced her husband of 28 years, leaving the home they had shared.
In all of these instances, she noted that she practiced letting go of clutter, whether that be abundant literary details or material items.
Notably, Allende also drew comparisons between what she had witnessed in Chile in the 1970s and what she called a rise of authoritarianism in the United States.
“Americans have no idea what they might lose,” she said, explaining how after the military coup, the people of Chile were forced into a world of deep censorship and fear.
After her conversation with Guyer, Allende fielded questions from audience members. Many shared that they had grown up surrounded by Allende’s books.
Campus senior Laurie Walden said he was introduced to Allende’s work by his parents, both of whom are huge fans of hers.
Walden said he was struck by Allende’s humor. He was one of many audience members who got to pose a question, asking Allende about how she approaches translations of her work.
Other attendees’ questions encompassed topics such as who her favorite author is — to which Allende said, herself — and how she has dealt with grief throughout her life, especially with respect to the death of her daughter.
“She’s very funny, she’s very honest and she is able to move between these incredible stories to points of inspiration,” Guyer said. “One of the things that I hope people will (take) away from that memory is the importance of taking risks and the importance of having a sense of community, even when you don’t see it.”