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Isabel Allende and "The Wind Knows My Name"

Allende's novel tells the story of two refugees and asylum seekers 80 years apart.
Allende's novel tells the story of two refugees and asylum seekers 80 years apart.

she penned her first novel “The House of Spirits.”

Four decades and more than two dozen novels later, Allende has become one of the world’s most widely-read authors. She’s sold more than 77 million copies of her books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages.

Her latest book, “The Wind Knows My Name,” is out June 6. It juxtaposes the experiences of a child fleeing Nazi-occupied territory in Europe in 1938, and another child fleeing danger in El Salvador and facing family separation at the U.S. border in 2019.

What has Allende learned about life, writing, and the world in her 80 years? And how can we use literature to help make sense of the complex world around us? We speak to her about these questions, her newest novel, and more.

Copyright 2023 WAMU 88.5

Lauren Hamilton