When Isabel Allende’s first novel, “The House of the Spirits,” was published in Spanish in 1982 and then in English in 1985, the author had no idea of the impact it would have. This bestseller not only turned Allende into a literary icon but also emerged as one of the most remarkable novels of its time – a timeless Latin American classic now studied in school curriculums worldwide, particularly for its use of magical realism.
“I am amazed to see that my novel is still being published in 42 languages,” Allende told ELLE. “The book has a life of its own; it has not aged. It seems to be as relevant today as it was 40 years ago.” “The House of the Spirits” has since been adapted into various formats, including on stage, in ballet, and in cinema. The 1993 Hollywood drama, starring Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, Winona Ryder, among others, remains arguably the most well-known and controversial adaptation.
A controversial film adaptation
“When ‘The House of the Spirits’ was adapted into a film in 1993, the audience was not used to subtitles; all successful films had to be in English and carried by recognized stars,” explained Isabel Allende. “The film was directed by Danish director Bille August, in English, with an impressive Anglo-Saxon cast, and filmed in Europe.” She concluded, “It was a beautiful film, but it didn’t feel Latin American.”
Today, finally, a television adaptation led by Latin American talents is coming to light. Directed by showrunners Francisca Alegría, Fernanda Urrejola, and Andrés Wood, “The House of the Spirits” on Prime Video – the first television adaptation (and first adaptation in Spanish) of Allende’s novel – will premiere on April 29. Produced by Eva Longoria, Courtney Saladino, and Isabel Allende herself, this eight-episode series focuses on three generations of women in a South American family whose lives are forever changed by their country’s political upheavals and the divisions within their own family.
Nicole Wallace and Dolores Fonzi play the clairvoyant matriarch Clara del Valle Trueba at different stages of this multi-generational family saga. Sara Becker and Fernanda Urrejola portray Clara’s daughter, Blanca Trueba, in her youth and adulthood, respectively. The cast also includes Fernanda Castillo, Aline Küppenheim, Eduard Fernández, Juan Pablo Raba, Pablo Macaya, Nicolás Contreras, among others.
“The House of Spirits,” a series that captivated Isabel Allende
The idea of a series captivated Isabel Allende from the project’s inception when Francisca Alegría and Fernanda Urrejola approached her to consider a television adaptation. “Their vision was very interesting,” she said. “They knew the book well and wanted to remain faithful to the original story. It’s a long and complex novel, blending magical realism and political events. A series is the ideal format for such material.” Given their respect for the work, Allende had no concerns about any changes made by Alegría and Urrejola (later joined by Andrés Wood). “To be honest, I didn’t mind if they made changes,” she added. “Literature and television are very different art forms. When I write, I don’t accept someone looking over my shoulder. Why would I interfere with another creator’s work?”
The three showrunners never gave Isabel Allende a reason to doubt them. “The House of the Spirits” on Prime Video is indeed proving to be a deeply faithful adaptation, filmed in Chile and entirely performed in Spanish. Eva Longoria, who was originally supposed to act in the series but had to step back due to scheduling conflicts, repeatedly uses the term “authentic” to describe this “sweeping and epic” series.
“When Fernanda and Francisca presented me with their series bible, with their aesthetic vision and approach to the staging, as well as the fact that everything would be shot in Chile, in pursuit of total authenticity concerning the story, that’s what convinced me,” explained Eva Longoria. In the final series, she continued, this authenticity “resonates” “in every frame – in the light, architecture, costumes. It’s tangible.”
Nicole Wallace, who plays the adult version of Clara, had previously appeared in several novel adaptations on screen before “The House of the Spirits” – including the Prime Video films “Culpa mía,” “Culpa tuya,” and “Culpa nuestra.” But she noted that this project was on “another level because it’s not just a book,” she said. “It’s History.”
When she auditioned and landed the role of Clara, “my mother cried because ‘The House of the Spirits’ is her favorite book,” Wallace shared. “She read it when she was young and has always been very attached to this story. Seeing how much it meant to her changed everything for me too.”
To better connect with the elements of magical realism, crucial to Allende’s saga, Nicole Wallace and several of her female co-stars participated in spiritual exercises with the script and production continuity supervisor, whom Wallace described as “a bit witchy.”
Gathered in a room, each holding a cup of tea, the actresses waited as the supervisor attempted to open the Akashic Records, considered by some as a sort of encyclopedic third-dimensional archive containing “all information in the world and everything that has existed, will exist, and exists today,” Wallace explained. “All the characters written or portrayed live there. They are not in this world, but they exist somewhere since they have been created.”
Through this exercise, “each of us, all the actresses, could sort of receive a message from our character,” Wallace continued. “And it was very moving. It was very beautiful.”
It was important for Wallace, who describes herself as a “spiritual person,” that Clara’s clairvoyant and telekinetic abilities did not come across as clichéd or artificial. “We did a lot of meditation,” she said, “so that when we were in those scenes, and I had those visions, it didn’t give [the audience] the impression that I was just having some kind of strange fit.”
One of Clara’s premonitory visions is that she will one day marry Esteban Trueba, a violent man, former poor miner who turns the family estate, Las Tres Marías, into a “model estate,” before fully engaging in his country’s conservative government. Clara and Esteban’s daughter, Blanca, falls in love with Pedro Tercero – the son of her father’s foreman – despite their class differences; later, Alba, the couple’s granddaughter, becomes involved in protests against the conservative government supported by Esteban. These family and social divisions serve as both the narrative engine of Allende’s novel and the Prime Video series, as well as the source of their lasting resonance.
A critically acclaimed novel and now an essential in Latin American literature
“Clara uses her spiritual gifts to question the social norms imposed on women, and Blanca follows her heart despite class barriers. Through the journeys of these women, we can explore many feminist issues that remain relevant today,” said Eva Longoria. “The themes addressed by Isabel are timeless. The fact that this book has had global success proves that.”
When “The House of the Spirits” was first published in English, The New York Times wrote in its review that Allende “was the first woman to join what had hitherto been an exclusively male club of Latin American novelists,” having “engaged, on a scale comparable to her peers, with the tormented patriarchal world of traditional Hispanic society,” while asserting that class violence, fueled by anger in Latin America, is a debate among men who are not only deaf but also trapped in fixed and immutable ideas on all subjects.
Through a “cinematic” series respecting the depth and uniqueness of Allende’s work, explained Longoria, the teams sought to remind us that decades after the novel’s publication, stories of women like Clara, Blanca, and Alba still deserve to be told.
“Women are not a specific niche group,” Eva Longoria affirmed. “We represent half the population and consume television series and films just as much as our male counterparts. So, I think more stories should be centered on powerful women, and stories should be carried by extraordinary women.”
