Isabel Allende Wins €1m Premio Planeta Under Pseudonym Luz Ventura
Isabel Allende has won the prestigious 75th Premio Planeta, securing €1 million (£843,000) for her novel, La hora antes del alba, published under the pseudonym Luz Ventura. This sequel to her acclaimed 1982 work, The House of the Spirits, focuses on the character Alba. The award ceremony took place in Barcelona and was graced by the presence of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Allende, 84, expressed that the recognition felt akin to winning a Nobel Prize. The runner-up, Sergio Hernández, received €200,000 for his entry, La añoranza.
Key facts
- Isabel Allende won the 75th Premio Planeta, worth €1m (£843,000)
- She entered as Luz Ventura with the title Los que faltan; the winning novel is La hora antes del alba
- The book is a sequel to The House of the Spirits (1982), centered on Alba
- The Barcelona ceremony was attended by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia
- Allende, 84, said the win felt "like winning the Nobel"
- Her books have sold over 80m copies and been translated into more than 40 languages
- The prize requires the winner's book to be published by Planeta
- Sergio Hernández was runner-up with La añoranza, winning €200,000
Entities
Artists
- Isabel Allende
- Salvador Allende
- Augusto Pinochet
- Duncan Wheeler
- Jorge Díaz
- Agustín Martínez
- Antonio Mercero
- Juan Marsé
- Manuel Vázquez Montalbán
- Juan de Val
- José Creuheras
- Sergio Hernández
- King Felipe VI
- Queen Letizia
Institutions
- Premio Planeta
- Planeta
- Plaza & Janés
- Penguin Random House
- Leeds University
- Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland
- El País
- Reuters
- The Guardian
Locations
- Barcelona
- Spain
- Chile
- Latin America