The wind knows my name
The wind knows my name is a historical and contemporary fiction novel written by the Chilean author, born in Peru, Isabel Allende. The work was published in 2023 by the Plaza & Janés publishing house. As has happened with Allende's previous texts over the years, his most recent title has been subjected to criticism, both by experts and readers, with 85% acceptance according to Google.
This figure is very positive, because, in most cases, it speaks to the opinions of ordinary readers. Although the novel is a little uncomfortable to read due to the themes that Isabel Allende addresses in it, Many have applauded his aplomb in making social criticism and exposing such a complex situation. and terrifying as the forced displacement of minors.
Synopsis of The wind knows my name
About the tears that were shed in Austria
On November 10, 1939, Vienna was involved in an event that marked the history of Austria: During the night, a series of lynchings were carried out by the SA assault troops together with the civilian population, against the Jewish people who inhabited the country.
On that terrible day, later known as Kristallnacht -either "Night of the Broken Glass", for its translation into Spanish—, Mr. Adler disappeared, leaving his wife and son helpless.
Mother, knowing that it wouldn't be long before the Nazis came for her and her little one, decided to send the child to Kindertransport, an organized Jewish rescue effort. This is how six-year-old Samuel Adler left home to board a train that would take him to London.
He, alone with his violin, He was about to realize that his life would never be the same again., and that he would never see his beloved mother again.
Misfortunes are also cyclical
Eight decades later of the Holocaust, in a different situation - although similar in pain, uprooting and fear of the unknown -, A mother and her daughter board another train to protect their lives from dangers that await them in El Salvador. Your destination is the United States.
Arriving, are intercepted by the authorities and separated from each other. Anita Díaz, seven years old, must face the cruelest treatment, loneliness, discrimination and sadness.
Frightened, the girl takes refuge in the only place where she feels safe: Azabahar, a magical universe that only exists in her imagination.. Only accompanied by her doll, Anita is locked up in La Hielera, a prison for immigrants where the cold makes her shiver from head to toe.
Meanwhile the characters of Selena Durán and Frank Angileri try to fight against the internal politics of their State. She, as a social worker, and he, as a lawyer.
The importance of a name
The act of naming is extremely important, as it allows us to build, make visible and delve deeper into something or someone. Taking this premise into account, What happens when human beings are relegated to mere numbers? Payrolls do not have experiences, feelings or needs, they only exist to be quantifiable. That's what happens with children The wind knows my name.
Isabel Allende gives identity to her victims so that the reader can put a face to the misfortune of these creatures. Both Samuel and Anita are just a reflection of hundreds of thousands of children who have been forced to leave everything behind. what they love. Allende understands this dilemma well, since she herself had to leave Chile to protect her life when the dictatorship began.
Where did the idea for the book come from?
In 1996, Isabel Allende founded an organization which bears his name. This Its purpose is to help girls and women in precarious conditions.. Through her foundation, the writer has had the opportunity to interview many people, among them, a young Salvadoran girl who lost her sight and was separated from her mother after moving to the United States. After hearing her story, the author began to investigate other cases like hers.
Isabel Allende realized that forced displacement and the separation of children from their mothers is not something new. He also understood that no government has found a satisfactory solution so that this does not continue to happen. Thus, The wind knows my name It is presented as a book about two resilient children who must survive without their families in an unknown country. But it is also a story of heroism.
In honor of heroines and heroes
In the midst of his investigation, Allende noted that in the United States there are approximately 40,000 lawyers who work pro bono to defend victims. of forced displacement. This, either by reuniting them with their mothers or seeking political, social and economic benefits so that these people can lead as calm a life as possible after the trauma.
The most curious thing about this matter is that the majority of lawyers, psychologists, social workers and assistants who provide their services for free are women. In this sense, The book also becomes a tribute to all these heroines who have fought selflessly for the little ones and their loved ones.
About the author, Isabel Allende
Isabel Angelica Allende Llona was born in 1942, in Lima, Peru. He grew up in a family assiduous in politics, since his father was Tomás Allende Pesce, a direct relative of Salvador Allende, president of Chile between 1970 and 1973.. When she was a child she moved from Lima to central Chile with her parents..
His father had to fulfill duties as an ambassador in that nation, so the author moved for the first time. These constant trips of hers turned her into an eternal foreigner.
Isabel completed her high school studies between Bolivia and Lebanon, first in an American Catholic school and later in a private English school. In 1959 she married Miguel Frías, with whom she had two children: Paula and Nicolás. Starting in 1967, a journalistic career began that continues to this day. Later he ventured into dramaturgy and, finally, into Literature, an art in which he debuted with The House of the Spirits.
Other books by Isabel Allende
Stories and Novels
- Grandma Panchita (1974);
- Lauchas and lauchones, rats and mice (1974);
- Civilize your troglodyte. The impertinent ones of Isabel Allende (1974;
- The House of the Spirits (1982);
- The porcelain fat woman (1984);
- Of Love and Shadows (1984);
- Eva Luna (1987);
- Tales of Eva Luna (1989);
- The infinite plan (1991);
- Paula (1994);
- Afrodita (1997);
- Daughter of fortune (1998);
- Portrait in sepia (2000);
- The city of beasts (2002);
- My invented country (2003);
- The kingdom of the golden dragon (2003);
- Forest of the Pygmies (2004);
- El Zorro: the legend begins (2005);
- Ines of my soul (2006);
- The sum of the days (2007);
- Guggenheim lovers. The job of counting (2007);
- The island under the sea (2009);
- Maya's notebook (2011);
- Care (2012);
- Ripper's game (2014);
- The Japanese Lover (2015);
- Beyond winter (2017);
- Long sea petal (2019);
- Women of my soul (2020);
- Violeta (2022)
Theater
- The Embassador (1971);
- The ballad of medium hair (1973);
- I am Tránsito Soto (1973);
- The seven mirrors (1975)