“Fear is a very pervasive thing that changes a society, and changes the way people behave with each other, and changes you inside.” The author Isabel Allende had to flee from Chile in 1973 after a military coup. On the latest edition of “The Interview," the author spoke with Gilbert Cruz, editor of The New York Times Book Review, about the grief she feels, her career and more. 00:00 - Introduction 02:38 - Exploring the novel “My Name Is Emilia del Valle” 08:08 - Feminism and writing female characters 13:09 - Journalism and Pablo Neruda 15:30 - 1973 Chilean coup d'état 19:50 - Writing “The House of The Spirits” 24:00 - Writing “Paula” and experiencing grief 26:10 - The intimacy of letter writing 30:52 - Divorcing and remarrying in her 70s 34:31 - Trump and her American citizenship 37:50 - On aging For more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/magazine/isabel-allende-interview.html Subscribe to The Interview podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@theinterviewpodcast Subscribe to NYT Audio: https://bit.ly/3Qz3GZu Download the NYT App: https://bit.ly/4gZdoip Watch more @NYTPodcasts #theinterview