Synopses & Reviews
Introduction
In My Invented Country, Isabel Allende recalls the lost world of her roots, a version of Chile that vanished when General Pinochet's military junta erupted on September 11, 1973. Her uncle, President Salvador Allende Gossens, was assassinated in the coup. The social climate that had permitted her candid journalism was replaced by a brutal dictatorship.
Offering an evocative tour of Allende's often misunderstood homeland, My Invented Country transports us to compelling locales, while capturing the tumultuous events that led Allende to recognize her storytelling gifts.
Questions for Discussion What are your initial impressions of Chile as Isabel Allende presents it in her opening scenes? Does the landscape correspond to its inhabitants? In what ways does Allende's persona reflect this geography? The book's title reminds us of the subjectivity of memory. What recollections of your hometown might be shaped by your unique point of view? How would you describe your "invented" place of origin? Allende describes herself as a charismatic woman who speaks frankly, wears bold colors, and savors her meals without worrying about cholesterol. Do these traits make her more of an exception in California or in Chile? Allende powerfully recalls the aftermath of the September 11 military coup that launched Pinochet's reign of terror in 1973. She describes the fallout in personal terms: families torn apart by informants, a nation's faith in its electorate shaken, a vibrant cultural climate replaced by one of suppression. Discuss the parallels and distinctions between the trauma of Chile's 9/11 events and those that occurred in the United States exactly 28 years later. What did MyInvented Country reveal about Chilean attitudes towards sexism, racism and political correctness? How might this memoir have shifted had the author been male, or mestizo? Relatives -- particularly grandparents -- played a distinctive role in shaping Allende's sense of self and inspiring much of her fiction. She even maintains an almost daily correspondence with her mother. Which of your relatives most heavily influenced your character, and your sense of imagination? Allende writes that Chilean status was not heavily tied to wealth before the Pinochet years, but in contemporary Chile the ruling class is extremely affluent -- possibly at the expense of a once-sizeable middle class. Is this situation uniquely Chilean, or do you believe that the 1970s and 1980s were marked by similar economic shifts around the world? My Invented Country is as much travelogue as memoir. What did you discover about the distinctions between various countries of South America, particularly Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Venezuela? How does Allende' South America compare to the other locales she has lived in, such as the Middle East and Europe? Allende's fiction often features characters who have unusual perceptions of reality, or are able to tap spiritual worlds as easily as tangible ones. Does My Invented Country evoke any of these themes? In what way does it complete the memories recorded in her memoir Paula? Did the book change your perception of your American identity?
About the Author
Born in Peru, Isabel Allende was raised in Chile. She is the author of the novels Portrait in Sepia, Daughters of Fortune, The Infinite Plan, Eva Luna, Of Love and Shadows and The House of Spirits, the short storycollection The Stories of Eva Luna, and the memoirs Paula, Aphrodite, and My Invented Country. She is also the author of City of the Beasts and Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, the first two in what will be a trilogy of children's novels. She lives in California.
Review
"Isabel Allende [is] surely one of the most graceful and yet haunting writers alive." St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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"Riveting in its frankness and compassion...[Allendes] account of why and how she became a writer is profoundly moving." Booklist
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"Intriguing elements of the authors captivating history." Publishers Weekly
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"Dazzling as a kaleidoscope: an artful tumbling and knocking that throws light and reveals strange depths." Kirkus Reviews
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"At every bend [Allende] delights us with unexpected humor." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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"Poignant....Allendes keen intelligence and lively prose keep readers wishing for more." San Diego Union-Tribune
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"Charming and entertaining." New York Times Book Review
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"Marvelous....Allendes love for Chile is so evident and eloquent that many readers will consider packing their bags and booking the next flight to Santiago." BookPage
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"A stunningly intimate memoir....Allende is that rare writer whose understanding of story matches her mastery of language." Entertainment Weekly
Synopsis
A highly personal memoir of exile and homeland by bestselling author Isabel Allende
In My Invented Country Isabel Allende evokes the magnificent landscapes of her country, a charming, idiosyncratic Chilean people with a violent history and indomitable spirit, and the politics, religion, myth and magic of her homeland that she carries with her even today.
The book circles around two life-changing moments. The assassination of her uncle, Salvador Allende Gossens, on September 11, 1973, sent her into exile and transformed her into a literary writer. And the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on her adopted homeland, the United States, brought forth from Allende an overdue acknowledgment that she had indeed left home. My Invented Country, whose structure mimics the workings of memory itself, ranges back and forth across that distance accrued between the author's past and present lives. It speaks compellingly to immigrants, and to all of us, who try to retain a coherent inner life in a world full of contradictions.
Synopsis
Isabel Allende evokes the magnificent landscapes of her country; a charming, idiosyncratic Chilean people with a violent history and an indomitable spirit; and the politics, religion, myth, and magic of her homeland that she carries with her even today.
The book circles around two life-changing moments. The assassination of her uncle Salvador Allende Gossens on September 11, 1973, sent her into exile and transformed her into a literary writer. And the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on her adopted homeland, the United States, brought forth an overdue acknowledgment that Allende had indeed left home. My Invented Country, mimicking the workings of memory itself, ranges back and forth across that distance between past and present lives. It speaks compellingly to immigrants and to all of us who try to retain a coherent inner life in a world full of contradictions.
Synopsis
Hailed by Salman Rushdie as "one of the most important voices coming out of Latin America," the best-selling author and human rights activist Ariel Dorfman delivers a memoir excavating for the first time his profound and provocative journey as an exile. In September 1973, the military took power in Chile, and Ariel Dorfman, allied to deposed president Salvadore Allende, was forced to flee for his life.Feeding on Dreamsis the story of the transformative decades of exile that followed. Dorfman portrays, through visceral scenes and powerful intellect, the personal and political maelstroms underlying his migrations from Buenos Aires, on the run from Pinochets death squads, to safe houses in Paris and Amsterdam, and eventually to America, his childhood home. And then, seventeen years after he was forced to leave, there is a yearned-for return to Chile, with an unimaginable outcome. The toll on Dorfmans wife and two sons, the "earthquake of language" that is bilingualism, and his eventual questioning of his allegiance to past and partyall these crucibles of a life in exile are revealed with wry and startling honesty. Feeding on Dreamsis a passionate reminder that "we are all exiles," that we are all "threatened with annihilation if we do not find and celebrate the refuge of common humanity," as Dorfman did during his "decades of loss and resurrection."
Synopsis
Acclaimed author and human-rights activist Ariel Dorfman delivers a memoir excavating, for the first time, his profound and provocative journey through revolution and exile.
Synopsis
"A multifaceted journey that is geographical, personal and political . . . A complex, nuanced view of United States–Latin American politics and relations of the last forty some years." —
Durham Herald-Sun "One of the most important voices coming out of South America." — Salman Rushdie
In September 1973, the military took power in Chile, and Ariel Dorfman, a young leftist allied with President Allende, was forced to flee for his life. In Feeding on Dreams, Dorfman portrays, through visceral scenes and with startling honesty, the personal and political maelstroms that have defined his life since the Pinochet coup. Dorfman’s wry and masterfully told account takes us on a page-turning tour of the past several decades of North-South political history and of the complex consequences of revolution and tyranny, excavating for the first time his profound and provocative journey as an exile and the consequences for his wife and family.
"Fascinating." — San Francisco Examiner
"A great book that will simultaneously undo us and sustain us." — Tikkun
About the Author
Isabel Allende is the bestselling author of eleven works of fiction, four memoirs, and three young- adult novels, which have been translated into more than twenty-seven languages with over 57 million copies sold. In 2004 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award in 2012. Born in Peru and raised in Chile, she lives in California.
Nacida en Perú y criada en Chile, Isabel Allende es la autora de nueve novelas incluyendo más recientemente Zorro, Retrato en Sepia, Hija de la Fortuna e Inés del Alma Mía. También ha escrito cuentos cortos, tres libros autobiográficos incluyendo Mi País Inventado y Paula, y una trilogía de libros para jóvenes. Sus libros han sido traducidos a más de 27 idiomas y son bestsellers a través del mundo entero. En 2004, fue nombrada a la Academia de Artes y Letras de los Estados Unidos. Vive en California.