In Conversation with Isabel Allende

On 2 November 2026, Chilean-American writer, Isabel Allende was in conversation with Wadham Tutorial Fellow in Spanish, Olivia Vázquez Medina. The setting was the beautiful Sohmen Concert Hall within the new Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. Hosted by The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, this flagship event marked the start of a year-long celebration commemorating one hundred years of the King Alfonso XIII Chair of Spanish Studies, currently held by Jonathan Thacker.

Allende is known for her novels, The House of the Spirits (La casa de los espíritus, 1982), Of Love and Shadows (De amor y de sombra, 1984), and many others. She has been called the world's most widely read Spanish-language author.

Witty, sharp, and engaging, Allende delighted the audience with stories spanning her whole career. The conversation coincided with the publication of her new book, Storytelling: A Masterclass in Crafting Stories (2026), and covered many moments in Allende’s earlier life and works too.

She shared ideas about fiction, writing, love, ageing, family, censorship, the patriarchy, and the power of stories, sprinkled with a wealth of anecdotes from her own life. Allende spoke especially to the students in the audience, who were elated listening to her. The students, academics, current and former Heads of House, members of the university and general public who packed the Sohmen Concert Hall showed their appreciation with a rousing ovation.

Wadham is very proud of its humanities scholars, and is proud that Olivia's expertise in Spanish literature could open up a conversation with a contemporary literary icon, for a diverse, public audience.