Isabel Allende wins €1m Spanish literary prize under pseudonym

Chilean-American novelist Isabel Allende has won Spain’s €1m Premio Planeta for a sequel to *The House of the Spirits*, her 1982 debut. The award brings the story of Alba and the novel’s interconnected family saga to a close, while Allende said its themes of authoritarianism feel relevant as democracies face new threats.

The 84-year-old submitted the unpublished manuscript under the pseudonym Luz Ventura, with the fictional title *Los que faltan*; the winning book is titled *La hora antes del alba*. It follows Alba’s recovery after imprisonment and torture under Pinochet’s dictatorship. Allende’s books have sold more than 80 million copies in over 40 languages. The prize is highly remunerative but has faced criticism over its choices and often goes to established public figures.