When my body ceased to be your home: IIse´s memories from Colonia Dignidad

Emma Sepúlveda

Forthcoming! (Spring 2026)

The book When My Body Ceased to Be Your Home: Ilse’s Memories from Colonia Dignidad, by Emma Sepúlveda, is a novel based on real events that recounts the experience of Ilse, a woman who lived as a prisoner in the infamous Colonia Dignidad, a German settlement in Chile founded by Paul Schäfer. The work describes the brutality, abuse, misogyny, and complicity with Pinochet’s dictatorship that defined this enclave. Narrated in the first person, the book reveals Ilse’s life amid terror and repression, showing the struggle for dignity and women’s resistance in a context of extreme oppression. The novel is presented as fiction grounded in reality, allowing the reader to understand the physical and emotional degradation suffered by the women trapped in this place, as well as their attempts to escape and reclaim their freedom.

Emma Sepúlveda is a Chilean writer based in the United States and holds a doctorate in History. She is recognized for her literary work and her activism in defense of human rights and Latino communities. She has published more than 30 books—including fiction, research, and essays—and is known for addressing historical and social issues with deep commitment and sensitivity. Her work focuses on memory, justice, and denunciation from a literary perspective that both moves and educates.