La palabra mágica
memoir · First published 2026
Author guide
Isabel Allende Books in Order
Isabel Allende is a Chilean-American writer whose career began in journalism and theater before The House of the Spirits established her internationally as a novelist. Her work includes novels, historical fiction, young-adult and children's literature, short stories, memoirs, essays, cookery writing, and plays, often centering women, exile, memory, family, and political upheaval.
novelshistorical fictionmagical realismmemoirnonfictionessaysshort storiesyoung adult literaturechildren's literatureplays
Catalog record updated .
Isabel Allende's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
La casa de los espíritus
The landmark debut and the clearest introduction to Allende's historical, family-centered fiction.
Paula
The strongest entry point for her memoir and autobiographical writing.
La ciudad de las bestias
The beginning of the complete Eagle and Jaguar young-adult trilogy.
Read in order
Books by series
trilogy · complete
Eagle and Jaguar
A completed young-adult adventure trilogy following Alexander Cold and Nadia Santos through extraordinary journeys in the natural and spiritual worlds.
- 1 La ciudad de las bestias
Book 1 · young-adult novel · 2002
Fifteen-year-old Alexander Cold has the chance to take the trip of a lifetime. Parting from his family and ill mother, Alexander joins his fearless grandmother, a magazine reporter for International Geographic, on an expedition to the…
- 2 El reino del dragón de oro
Book 2 · young-adult novel · 2003
La continuacion de La ciudad de las bestias.
- 3 El bosque de los pigmeos
Book 3 · young-adult novel · 2004
Eighteen-year-old Alexander Cold and his grandmother travel to Africa on an elephant-led safari, but discover a corrupt world of poaching and slavery.
children's series · complete
Perla
A children's picture-book series about Perla, a powerful rescue dog whose loyalty, courage, and friendship help children face challenges.
- 1
- 2 Perla y el pirata
Book 2 · picture book · 2025
- 3 Perla y la princesa
Book 3 · picture book · 2026
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (16)
- La casa de los espíritus
novel · 1982
Epic saga spanning three generations of the Trueba family at whose core is the stormy yet passionate relationship between the supernaturally gifted Clara and her controlling husband Esteban.
- De amor y de sombra
novel · 1984
Ésta es la historia de una mujer y de un hombre que se amaron en plenitud, salvándose así de una existencia vulgar. Segunda novela de Isabel Allende, De amor y de sombra es un agudo testimonio de las dramáticas situaciones que se viven en…
- Eva Luna
novel · 1987
Die drei Romane markieren Etappen meines Lebens. Das Geisterhaus war Bewältigung meiner Erinnerung. Von Liebe und Schatten nahm mir meinen Haß und meine Wut. Eva Luna ist ein fröhliches Buch. Isabel Allende
- El plan infinito
novel · 1991
Story of Gregory Reeves's search for love and his attempt to reconcile his past which included poverty, neglect, war, and abusive relationships with his current strivings for success and peace of mind.
- Hija de la fortuna
novel · 1998
A Chilean woman searches for her lover in the goldfields of 1840s California. Arriving as a stowaway, Eliza finances her search with various jobs, including playing the piano in a brothel
- Retrato en sepia
novel · 2000
En el Chile del siglo XIX, Aurora del Valle sufre un trauma brutal que borra de su mente los primeros cinco a os de su vida. Criada por su ambiciosa abuela, Paulina del Valle, crece en un ambiente privilegiado, libre de muchas de las…
- Zorro
novel · 2005
"Born in southern California late in the eighteenth century, he is a child of two worlds. Diego de la Vega's father is an aristocratic Spanish military man turned landowner; his mother, a Shoshone warrior. Diego learns from his maternal…
- Inés del alma mía
historical novel · 2006
Una bella historia de amor, lucha, traición y pasión. El libro en que se basa la serie. Inés Suárez es una joven y humilde costurera extremeña que se embarca hacia el Nuevo Mundo para buscar a su marido, extraviado con sus sueños de…
- La isla bajo el mar
historical novel · 2009
Born a slave on the island of Saint-Domingue, Zarité -- known as Tété -- is the daughter of an African mother she never knew and one of the white sailors who brought her into bondage. Though her childhood is one of brutality and fear,…
- El cuaderno de Maya
novel · 2011
- El juego de Ripper
crime novel · 2013
Las mujeres de la familia Jackson siempre han sabido que podían contar la una con la otra. A pesar de la fuerza del vínculo que las une, madre e hija son como la noche del día. Indiana es una atractiva bohemia de espíritu libre, sanadora…
- Más allá del invierno
novel · 2017
In the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn, 60-year-old human rights scholar Richard Bowmaster hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young, undocumented immigrant from Guatemala. What at first seems just a small inconvenience takes a far more…
- Largo pétalo de mar
historical novel · 2019
La fascinante nueva novela de Isabel Allende. En plena Guerra Civil española, el joven médico Víctor Dalmau, junto a su amiga pianista Roser Bruguera, se ven obligados a abandonar Barcelona, exiliarse y cruzar los Pirineos rumbo a…
- Violeta
novel · 2022
Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, the first girl in a family with five boisterous sons. From the start, her life is marked by extraordinary events, for the ripples of the Great War are still being felt, even as the…
- El viento conoce mi nombre
novel · 2023
- Mi nombre es Emilia del Valle
historical novel · 2025
Nonfiction (4)
- Paula
memoir · 1994
Paula es el libro más conmovedor, más personal y más íntimo de Isabel Allende. Junto al lecho en que agonizaba su hija Paula, la gran narradora chilena escribió la historia de su familia y de sí misma con el propósito de regalársela a…
- Mi país inventado
memoir · 2003
Un libro lleno de amor y de humor que reconstruye, desde la evocación, la vida, la felicidad añorada y los espacios más queridos de Isabel Allende. Amor por Chile y una gran nostalgia son el origen de este libro: la presencia continuada…
- La suma de los días
memoir · 2007
Escrita en forma de relato para su fallecida hija Paula, en *La suma de los días* Isabel Allende relata la vida de su peculiar "tribu" que vive con ella en California. Relata las andanzas que vivió con su madre, cómo conoció a su…
- La palabra mágica
memoir · 2026
Short fiction (2)
- Cuentos de Eva Luna
short-story collection · 1989
- Los amantes del Guggenheim: El oficio de contar
short story and essay · 2007
Essays and speeches (3)
- Civilice a su troglodita: Los impertinentes de Isabel Allende
satirical essays · 1974
- Afrodita
nonfiction essays and recipes · 1997
- Mujeres del alma mía
essays · 2020
Una Isabel Allende más Allende que nunca. Un regalo para todos sus lectores, una lección de vida y coraje. Cada año vivido y cada arruga cuentan mi historia. Isabel Allende bucea en su memoria y nos ofrece un emocionante libro sobre su…
Children's books (4)
- La abuela Panchita
children's book · 1974
- Lauchas y lauchones, ratas y ratones
children's book · 1974
- La gorda de porcelana
children's novella · 1984
- La ninfa de porcelana
illustrated children's novella · 2017
Plays (4)
- El embajador
play · 1972
- La balada del medio pelo
play · 1973
- Yo soy la Tránsito Soto
play · 1973
- Los siete espejos
play · 1975
Frequently asked questions about Isabel Allende
Who is Isabel Allende, and where was she born?
Isabel Allende is a Chilean-American novelist, memoirist, journalist, and playwright. She was born in Lima, Peru, to Chilean parents and raised largely in Chile before becoming a U.S. citizen.
Sources: isabelallende.com (opens in a new tab)loc.gov (opens in a new tab)
How did Isabel Allende begin her writing career?
She began as a journalist and television interviewer, writing for Chile’s feminist magazine Paula, which she co-founded. After leaving Chile following the 1973 coup, she wrote her first novel while living in exile in Venezuela.
Sources: isabelallende.com (opens in a new tab)loc.gov (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Isabel Allende’s writing?
Her work is shaped by Chilean history, exile, family memory, and women’s experiences. She often combines political and historical realities with elements of magical realism.
Sources: loc.gov (opens in a new tab)loc.gov (opens in a new tab)
Which major awards has Isabel Allende received?
Her honors include Chile’s National Prize for Literature, the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the National Book Foundation’s 2018 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. She has also received PEN Center USA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sources: isabelallende.com (opens in a new tab)obamawhitehouse.archives.gov (opens in a new tab)nationalbook.org (opens in a new tab)
Why is Isabel Allende important to literature?
Allende is one of the most widely read and influential Spanish-language authors, known for bringing Latin American histories and women’s lives to global audiences. Her legacy also includes advocacy for women’s and children’s rights through her foundation and public work.
Sources: obamawhitehouse.archives.gov (opens in a new tab)loc.gov (opens in a new tab)