Key facts
- Isabel Allende won the €1m Premio Planeta literary prize.
- She submitted her manuscript under the pseudonym Luz Ventura.
- The winning novel is a sequel to her 1982 debut, The House of the Spirits.
- The prize ceremony was attended by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
Chilean-American author Isabel Allende has won Spain's €1 million ($1.08 million) Premio Planeta literary prize under the pseudonym Luz Ventura. The 84-year-old writer secured the award with La hora antes del alba, a sequel to her celebrated 1982 novel, The House of the Spirits. The new story follows Alba, a character from the original novel, as she recovers from imprisonment and torture during Pinochet’s dictatorship. Allende stated that the book would conclude the universe of The House of the Spirits. The award ceremony in Barcelona was attended by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Allende expressed that winning felt "like winning the Nobel" and that she had entered the competition at her age with little to lose. She cited decades of reader requests for Alba's story and the contemporary rise of extremism as inspirations for the sequel. Allende was forced into exile following the 1973 military coup that overthrew her cousin, Salvador Allende. The author's books have sold over 80 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 40 languages. The Premio Planeta is open to unpublished manuscripts, and while pseudonyms are permitted, experts suggested the judges likely recognized Allende's distinctive style. The prize has previously faced criticism for awarding established figures, including the 2021 win by Carmen Mola, later revealed to be three male writers.