Conversations with Isabel Allende

John Rodden, of Austin, Texas, is the author and editor of eight books, including Performing the Literary Interview, Lionel Trilling and the Critics, and The Worlds of Irving Howe.

From reviews of the first edition: "... Allende has led a life full of drama, passion, and history--one that is a novela in its own right. Now a book, Conversations with Isabel Allende, gives fans the inside story as told by Allende herself... This is worthwhile reading for anyone who wants to know what makes a good writer tick." Latina "Notoriously cavalier about the lines between fact, memory, and the storyteller's urge to keep the listener going, Allende embellishes or withholds wherever she pleases. Serious subjects are discussed and dealt with seriously, but there is plenty of laughter and evidence of the woman's appealing optimism and sense of play, whimsy, and charm." Bloomsbury Review "[This] is a rich, entertaining, and informative look at the life-in-progress and work of an extraordinary woman." Virginia Quarterly Review "[Readers] will find themselves enthralled with the fascinating story of a politically committed and dedicated writer, mother, and wife." School Library Journal "Her fans will love the Isabel who comes across so well spoken here." Booklist

• Acknowledgments Foreword to the First Edition by Isabel Allende Chronology of Isabel Allende's Life and Works Introduction Note on the Selections 1. Pirate, Conjurer, Feminist (Marjorie AgosÍn) 2. Chile's Troubadour (Magdalena GarcÍa Pinto) 3. Isabel Allende Unveiled (Douglas Foster) 4. Beginnings (Ilan Stavans) 5. "The Responsibility to Tell You" (John Rodden) 6. An Overwhelming Passion to Tell the Story (Elyse Crystall, Jill Kuhnheim, and Mary Layoun) 7. Love and Tears (Ignacio CarriÓn) 8. "Something Magic in the Storytelling" (Jan Goggans) 9. Writing from the Belly (Michael Toms) 10. Magical Feminist (Jennifer Benjamin and Sally Engelfried) 11. "Listen, Paula" (Alfred Starkmann) 12. After Paula (John Rodden) 13. "I Leave My Books to Their Fate" (John Rodden) 14. The Writer as Exile, and Her Search for Home (John Rodden) 15. "I Remember Emotions, I Remember Moments" (Virginia Invernizzi) 16. A Universal Message (Jan Garden Castro) 17. A Face in a Crowd (Katy Butler) 18. "Living in the Moment" (Elizabeth Heathcote) 19. "Self-Portrait in Sepia" (Cristen Reat) For Further Reading: Annotated Bibliography Index