One of the most original writers of her generation, Isabel Allende has crafted novels, short stories, and memoirs that chart the landscape of the soul. Now she recalls the lost world of her roots, a version of Chile that vanished when General Pinochet's military junta erupted on September 11, 1973. Her uncle, President Salvador Allende Gossens, was assassinated in the coup. The social climate that had permitted her candid journalism was replaced by a brutal dictatorship. Accompanied by her husband and children, she fled into exile, taking with her a writer's vivid memories of magnificent landscapes, eccentric relatives, and an endlessly fascinating culture whose history is nothing short of mythical. Offering an evocative tour of Allende's often misunderstood homeland, My Invented Country transports us to compelling locales, while capturing the tumultuous events that led Allende to recognize her storytelling gifts.