A character you won’t forget: Emilia del Valle, the daughter of a Chilean aristocrat and an Irish nun, is born in San Francisco in 1866 and raised in poverty in Mexico by her stepfather. At seventeen, she travels to Chile, determined to work as a journalist covering the looming civil war—or is it love and the mystery of her origins that draw her there? One thing is certain: Emilia is a writer, an adventurer—and a young woman determined to forge her own path.
Few authors are as adept as Isabel Allende at confronting her heroines with the horrors and upheavals of history while allowing them to remain fully visible in their individuality. Allende herself, who became a refugee during the Chilean military coup, knows such fates firsthand. Perhaps that’s why she understands so well the power of storytelling and the importance of female self-empowerment. She has been a frequent guest at ilb—not only with her many bestsellers, but also as a sharp observer of the history of the South American continent. In this anniversary year, she celebrates the German premiere of »Mein Name ist Emilia del Valle« [trans. Svenja Becker] at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele.
»Isabel Allende is a magnificent storyteller, writing with deep compassion and insight. Her place as an icon of world literature is beyond question.« [Khaled Hosseini]
Isabel Allende will participate in the event via live digital connection.
Moderated by Marie Kaiser
Read by Katja Riemann
The event will be held in English with simultaneous translation into German and selected readings in German.
