Isabel Allende wins one million euro Premio Planeta prize under pseudonym

The Chilean-American author Isabel Allende has won Spain's one million euro, or 843,000 pounds, Premio Planeta, according to the Guardian. The 84-year-old writer won the 75th edition of the award under a pseudonym on Thursday. [1][4]

The Guardian reported that Allende received the prize for her novel La hora antes del alba. The book is a sequel to her celebrated 1982 debut novel, The House of the Spirits, and returns to the characters of that multigenerational family saga set against political upheaval. [1]

Allende, who was born in Lima, Peru, is known for works that sometimes incorporate elements of magical realism. She was awarded Chile's National Literature Prize in 2010 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2014. As FTMQ Books reported earlier, Allende left Penguin Random House to join Planeta Group following her prize win. [6][8][9]