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Isabel Allende

Michael Berkeley鈥檚 guest is novelist Isabel Allende. With Vivaldi, Mozart, Albinoni and Chilean singer Victor Jara.

Isabel Allende鈥檚 first novel, 鈥淭he House of the Spirits鈥� catapulted her to literary stardom, and was acclaimed as a classic of Latin American magic realism. That was nearly forty years ago and she鈥檚 not stopped writing since: with twenty novels and four volumes of memoir, she鈥檚 been translated all over the world and has sold some seventy-four million books. They鈥檙e vivid family sagas, with eccentric characters, dramatic reversals, discoveries of lost children, violent death, disease and revolution, and sudden consuming love affairs.

But Isabel Allende鈥檚 own life is as extraordinary as any of her novels. Abandoned by her father as a small child, she spent her early years travelling across South America with her stepfather, who was a diplomat. He was the cousin of Salvador Allende, Chile鈥檚 socialist leader, who became Isabel鈥檚 godfather. But when Allende was deposed by the right-wing government of General Pinochet in 1973, Isabel 鈥� by then married, with children 鈥� became caught up in the violent revolution and had to flee the country. She now lives with her third husband in California.

In conversation with Michael Berkeley, Isabel Allende reflects on her extraordinary life, and reveals how she has found happiness now in her seventies. Music choices include Vivaldi, Mozart鈥檚 Flute Concerto No. 1, Albinoni, the Chilean singer Victor Jara, a moving song from the Spanish Civil War, and a Mexican love song from the 1940s, 鈥淜iss Me Lots鈥�.

A Loftus production for 蜜芽传媒 Radio 3
Produced by Elizabeth Burke

Available now

33 minutes

Last on

Sun 6 Sep 2020 12:00
蜜芽传媒 Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Flute Concerto no.1 in G major (2nd mvt: Adagio)

    Performer: Jean鈥怭ierre Rampal. Orchestra: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Zubin Mehta.
    • CBS Masterworks.

  • V铆ctor Jara

    Te Recuerdo Amanda

    Singer: V铆ctor Jara.
    • ESSENTIAL.

  • Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

    Oboe Concerto in D minor, Op.9 no.2 (2nd mvt: Adagio)

    Performer: Anthony Camden. Orchestra: London Virtuosi. Conductor: John Georgiadis.
    • NAXOS.

  • Trad.

    Si me quieres escribir

    Performer: Rolando Alarc贸n.

  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Spring (The Four Seasons)

    Performer: Rachel Podger. Ensemble: Brecon Baroque.

  • Gonzalo Roig

    Quiereme Mucho

    Singer: Pl谩cido Domingo.

  • Violeta Parra

    Gracias a la vida

    Performer: Mercedes Sosa.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 15 Mar 2020 12:00
    蜜芽传媒 Radio 3
  • Sun 6 Sep 2020 12:00
    蜜芽传媒 Radio 3

Podcast

  • Private Passions

    Guests from all walks of life discuss their musical loves and hates