A Goodreads user
asked
Isabel Allende:
My mom left Chile decades ago and I never got to visit much, but your stories have greatly helped me connect to that land and my own legendary forebears. Regardless of one's genealogical or geographical distance to Chile, is there something that will always makes one Chilean? How do you and your 'tribe' maintain your Chilean identity alive while living abroad? Thank you!
Isabel Allende
Every country has its own characteristics and considers itself unique and special. We Chileans believe that we live in the most beautiful landscape in the world, that we are hospitable, unassuming and gentle. This is not exactly true; in certain moments of our history (like in times of war and during the dictatorship) we have proven that we are capable of great brutality. We also believe that our food is delicious and our women are good looking. When I go to Chile the first thing that makes me feel at home is the accent of our Spanish language and a certain sense of humor that foreigners seldom get.
Cada país tiene sus propias características y se considera único y especial. Nosotros los chilenos creemos que vivimos en el paisaje más bello del mundo, que somos hospitalarios, quitados de bulla y gentiles. Esto no es exactamente cierto, porque en algunos momentos de nuestra historia (en tiempos de guerra o durante la dictadura), hemos dado prueba de ser capaces de la mayor brutalidad. También creemos que nuestra comida es deliciosa y nuestras mujeres son bonitas. Cuando voy a Chile lo primero que me hace sentir en casa es nuestro acento cantadito y cierto sentido del humor que los extranjeros rara vez comprenden.
Cada país tiene sus propias características y se considera único y especial. Nosotros los chilenos creemos que vivimos en el paisaje más bello del mundo, que somos hospitalarios, quitados de bulla y gentiles. Esto no es exactamente cierto, porque en algunos momentos de nuestra historia (en tiempos de guerra o durante la dictadura), hemos dado prueba de ser capaces de la mayor brutalidad. También creemos que nuestra comida es deliciosa y nuestras mujeres son bonitas. Cuando voy a Chile lo primero que me hace sentir en casa es nuestro acento cantadito y cierto sentido del humor que los extranjeros rara vez comprenden.
More Answered Questions
J.P. Cunningham
asked
Isabel Allende:
Doña Isabel, w. a novel complete at about 90K words, possibly with most engaging text within the second half (from perspective of an agent), how could it get anywhere w. only the first fifty pages submitted? David Cornwell ( LeCarré) wrote "The Honorable Schoolboy", but with the most captivating part(s) within the second half. Some of the finest authors are not necessarily "contemporary." J.P. Cunningham
Yaaresse
asked
Isabel Allende:
Island Beneath the Sea felt to me like a very different kind of story than most of your previous books. Please share a little of what spoke to you about Saint-Dominque and that period of its history. What, if anything, surprised you when researching material for the book?
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