Allende informs, entertains
Students filled the Joe Crowley Student Union Theater Friday morning for a free question-and-answer session with internationally acclaimed author Isabel Allende.
The novelist answered questions from the audience on a variety of subjects, including Chile’s political history, U.S. foreign policy, Allende’s literary style and her fantasies of actor Antonio Banderas.
Allende both educated and entertained the audience.
Karla Arellano, a junior international affairs major who recently read one of Allende’s books, said seeing her in person was like “adding a chapter to the book.”
Allende captivated the audience as she described her personal experiences of the U.S. intervention in her native home of Chile, and the subsequent brutality and totalitarianism that forced her into exile in Venezuela.
Allende said telling personal stories about her and her family has brought them closer in some cases.
Allende said she ran her family in the Chilean way which meant no privacy at all, so they understood when she used them in her books.
Allende’s openness on her sexuality came as a surprise to many. She joked about possibly being a lesbian in the next life, her sexual fantasies about Banderas and lust for her husband eventually turning into love.
“It caught me off guard,” Arellano said.
Maria Moreno, a senior international business major, said she also enjoyed Allende’s visit.
“She was really funny,” she said.
The Latino Research Center organized the event, which included a Thursday evening program with Allende. Thursday’s tickets ranged from $35 to $1,000 and the money raised will go toward Latino Research Center, funding research and scholarships.
The organization focuses on issues concerning the Latino population within Nevada and the nation, said Marcos Pico, a graduate teaching assistant who helped organize the event.
“I think it’s wonderful what they’re doing,” Allende said about the research center’s work.
The author’s visit to the University of Nevada, Reno was one of the about six speaking events she participates in each year, Allende said.
“I try not repeat places and I’d never been to Reno,” she said.
Many students said they were glad she decided to come to UNR.
“It’s a privilege to have her at UNR,” Moreno said.
Ethan Malone can be reached at editor@nevadasagebrush.com.
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October 13th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I’m curious as to why a STUDENT TICKET had to be $35. I would’ve loved to hear Isabel but could not afford to attend her on Thursday.
Why would a professor assign extra credit for such an event when it was not even free for their students? I also saw NOTHING advertised about her questionnaire forum on Friday. This is very disheartening.
Again, I have to reiterate that I’m pretty upset. Even though the money was going to charity proceeds, I encourage the Latino Research Center to try and co-sponsor a speaker such as this with Flipside. Perhaps poor college students with a negative balance in the their bank accounts could attend a nice speaker for once.