The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages had great pleasure in hosting Isabel Allende for a conversation with Olivia Vázquez Medina, in the Sohmen Concert Hall, Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, on 2 November 2026. 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.
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.
This was a joyous and memorable occasion for the Faculty.