APHRODITE There is something about reading suggestive material that awakens the senses--too often ignored in the fray of modern life--and fires the imagination. Perhaps it brings us back to those breathless, palpitating moments from childhood when puberty was a rosy smudge on the horizon and sex was an abstract term. Aphrodite is a long, savory, enthralling ode to sensuality. In this bawdy memoir-cum-cookbook, Allende has put together an apothecary of aphrodisiacs, from snake's blood and rhinoceros horn to the more commonplace and more palatable oysters, "those seductive tears of the sea, which lend themselves to slipping from mouth to mouth like a prolonged kiss ... can be purchased in bottles, but there they look like malignant tumors; in contrast, moist and turgid in their shells they suggest delicate vulvae--a prime example of food that appeals to the eye." Chapters such as "Alligators and Piranhas"; "Supreme Stimulus for Lechery"; "Bread, God's Grace"; "Forbidden Fruits"; and "The Saucy Way to Foreplay" offer categorical listings on the aphrodisiac qualities of meats, spices, fruits and vegetables, and alcohol. A few chapters into the book, one begins to wonder what foods aren't considered erotic: "the shape of the wheat head is considered phallic, which proves human imagination knows no limits." Wine no surprise there is recommended because "it lessens inhibitions, relaxes, and fosters joy, three fundamental requirements for good performance, not only in bed but at the piano as well." However, as in many situations, moderation is key: too much and you may find your guest asleep in the soup.
ALLENDE ISABEL
Isabel Allende es una de las autoras más leídas del mundo, habiendo vendido más de setenta y siete millones de libros. Nacida en Perú y criada en Chile, Isabel saltó a la fama mundial en 1982 con la publicación de su primera novela, La casa de los espíritus. Desde entonces, es autora de más de veintiséis libros superventas y aclamados por la crítica, entre ellos Daughter of Fortune, Island Beneath the Sea, Paula y The Wind Knows My Name.
En 1996, tras la muerte de su hija Paula, Allende estableció una fundación benéfica en su honor. La fundación ha otorgado subvenciones a más de cien organizaciones sin fines de lucro en todo el mundo, brindando atención que cambia la vida de millones de mujeres y niñas.
En 2014, el presidente Barack Obama otorgó a Allende la Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad, el honor civil más alto del país, y en 2018 recibió la Medalla por Contribución Distinguida a las Letras Estadounidenses de la Fundación Nacional del Libro. Allende vive en California.
