Paula is a 1994 memoir by Isabel Allende. She intended to write a straightforward narrative about the darkest experience of her own life. But the book is a tribute to her deceased daughter Paula Frías Allende, who fell into a porphyria-induced coma in 1991 and never recovered.
Isabel Allende wrote Paula while tending to her daughter, Paula Frías Allende, who was in a coma arising from complications of porphyria. Allende started the book as a letter to Paula, explaining what she was missing so she would not be confused when she recovered. The novel includes accounts both of Paula's treatment and of Allende's life, sometimes overlapping with the content of Allende's first novel, The House of the Spirits. Paula died on December 6, 1992. She was survived by her husband, Ernesto Diaz, and other family members.
Themes and issuesedit
In her agonized self-questioning after she finally concedes defeat and surrenders her daughter to death, Isabel strips to her core in the presence of her brother Juan, who has become a priest:
'I'm lost, I don't know who I am, I try to remember who I was once but I find only disguises, masks, projections, the confused images of a woman I can't recognize. Am I the feminist I thought I was, or the frivolous girl who appeared on television wearing nothing but ostrich feathers? The obsessive mother, the unfaithful wife, the fearless adventurer, or the cowardly woman? Am I the person who helped political refugees find asylum or the one who ran away because she couldn't handle fear? Too many contradictions ...'
'You're all of them, and also the samurai who is battling death.'
'Was battling, Juan. I've lost.'
In the letter Paula wrote her family on her honeymoon, with the proviso that it was not to be read until after her death, she appears to have foreseen her coma, and her mother's refusal to let her die:
I do not want to remain trapped in my body. Freed from it, I will be closer to those I love. Please don't be sad, I am still with you, except I am closer than I was before. In another time, we will be reunited in spirit. ... Remember that we spirits can best help, accompany, and protect, those who are happy ...
Referencesedit
Metroactive Arts | Isabel Allende
Life and loss after 'Paula' : Books : The Rocky Mountain News
Reading Guide on Paula from harpercollins Publishers
Paula by Isabel Allende
Paula by Isabel Allende | librarything
Paula Summary and Study Guide - Isabel Allende
External linksedit
Presentation by Allende on Paula, September 13, 1997, C-SPAN
April 14, 2024
paula, novel, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, paula, novel, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Paula novel news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Paula is a 1994 memoir by Isabel Allende She intended to write a straightforward narrative about the darkest experience of her own life But the book is a tribute to her deceased daughter Paula Frias Allende who fell into a porphyria induced coma in 1991 and never recovered PaulaFirst edition Spanish AuthorIsabel AllendeGenreMemoirPublisherSudamericana Plaza amp JanesPublication date1994ISBN978 0 06 092721 9 Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Themes and issues 3 References 4 External linksPlot summary editIsabel Allende wrote Paula while tending to her daughter Paula Frias Allende who was in a coma arising from complications of porphyria Allende started the book as a letter to Paula explaining what she was missing so she would not be confused when she recovered The novel includes accounts both of Paula s treatment and of Allende s life sometimes overlapping with the content of Allende s first novel The House of the Spirits Paula died on December 6 1992 She was survived by her husband Ernesto Diaz and other family members Themes and issues editIn her agonized self questioning after she finally concedes defeat and surrenders her daughter to death Isabel strips to her core in the presence of her brother Juan who has become a priest I m lost I don t know who I am I try to remember who I was once but I find only disguises masks projections the confused images of a woman I can t recognize Am I the feminist I thought I was or the frivolous girl who appeared on television wearing nothing but ostrich feathers The obsessive mother the unfaithful wife the fearless adventurer or the cowardly woman Am I the person who helped political refugees find asylum or the one who ran away because she couldn t handle fear Too many contradictions You re all of them and also the samurai who is battling death Was battling Juan I ve lost In the letter Paula wrote her family on her honeymoon with the proviso that it was not to be read until after her death she appears to have foreseen her coma and her mother s refusal to let her die I do not want to remain trapped in my body Freed from it I will be closer to those I love Please don t be sad I am still with you except I am closer than I was before In another time we will be reunited in spirit Remember that we spirits can best help accompany and protect those who are happy References editAllende Isabel Pagina oficial Metroactive Arts Isabel Allende Life and loss after Paula Books The Rocky Mountain News Reading Guide on Paula from harpercollins Publishers Paula by Isabel Allende Paula by Isabel Allende librarything Paula Summary and Study Guide Isabel Allende sabel Allende en clubcultura comExternal links editPresentation by Allende on Paula September 13 1997 C SPAN Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Paula novel amp oldid 1146745451, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
