When Isabel Allende asked how many Latinos were in the audience last night during her interview/book signing at the Washington Post, more than half the audience answered with raised hands. Very impressive. Almost as impressive as the interview. Allende was hilarious, mixing self-deprecating humor with broadsides against the patriarchy, smart women who refuse to identify as feminists and violence against women. At 71, she appears to be just hitting high gear.
Allende provided considerable insight into her artistic process, noting that she writes in Spanish and works in intense, focused stretches to craft her books. Equally impressive was how gracefully she handled the obligatory “magic realism” questions. Her latest book, Ripper, is a murder/mystery, and she’s bravely explored various genres during her prolific writing career. I have to admit, I expected her to answer a few quick questions and get on with the book signing. But she genuinely seemed to enjoy taking questions and engaging with her fans. It left me thinking that it’s time to pick up another one of her novels …
(An amusing aside: Before the event, Lara stood in front of the table where they were selling copies of Ripper, unable to bring herself to betray her “digital only” approach to book consumption. She didn’t break down and buy a copy, but I suspect it will show up on her Kindle any day now …)