Isabel Angelica Allende was born on August 2, 1942, in Lima, Peru, to parents Tomas, a Chilean diplomat, and Francisca (Llona Barros) Allende. After her parents' divorce, three-year-old Isabel returned with her mother to Santiago, Chile; she grew up in her grandparents' home and attended a private high school. In 1962, Allende married her first husband, Miguel Frias, an engineer. After several years as a secretary, Allende started working as a journalist, editor, and advice columnist for Paula magazine; she also occasionally worked on television and movie newsreels.

In 1973, her uncle, Chilean president Salvador Allende, was assassinated in a right-wing military coup against his socialist government; Allende, her husband, and their two children fled the country and moved to Venezuela, where Allende had trouble finding work. While in exile and under the influence of her memories of Chile, Allende wrote her first semi-autobiographical novel, The House of the Spirits...