A Literary Evening
A couple weeks ago Isabel Allende was the guest on Minnesota Public Radio's Talking Volumes program. Allende is one of the great lights of contemporary Latin American literature. The session was held at MPR's Fitzgerald Theater St. Paul. When they announced that she would be there, I got on the phone as soon as possible and ordered the tickets. Good thing, too, since it was a sold-out audience. Not a surprise considering the stature of this great lady.

Allende's first novel was House of the Spirits, an unbeatable novel covering the history of her native Chile in a true magical realism style. Her most recent book is Ines of My Soul, a novel of Ines de Suarez, a conquistadora of Chile. First, the book.

As are all of Allende's books, this one is filled with wondrous descriptions and characters. This one is about an unheralded part of Latin American history from the feminine perspective. The spiritual side of life is there as strongly as ever and is the ever-present undercurrent of the whole scene. Allende works closely with her English translator which makes the English as rich and full as the Spanish. If you have never read Allende, Ines is a good place to start. But don't miss House of the Spirits!

As to the evening at the Fitzgerald Theater. It was nothing short of awe-inspiring to see Ms. Allende in person. She read from Ines several times. It added so much to hear the words with that wonderful Latin accent. She herself is a charming, witty, personable, and strongly opinionated woman. Her droll sense of humor made the evening fly by. Her insights on the state of the United States today was challenging. She is now an American citizen, something she decided to do following 9/11.

It was a great evening and one that, for me, reinforced the important place that literary people (i.e. great writers) should have in any society. Regardless of the background or politics, truly great writers have a way of digging into a situation and putting it into new words that hopefully bring us up short and make us pay attention. It is no surprise that when totalitarian governments and those who would stifle freedom seek to gain control, they burn books and ban writers from writing what they see. Allende has that gift of insight. May she continue to find in the USA of this decade the place of freedom and hope.

To listen go HERE and click on the LIVE APPEARANCE link.