Isabel Allende wins Premio Planeta 2026

Chilean author Isabel Allende has been awarded the Premio Planeta 2026 for her novel ‘La hora antes del alba’. The award, announced in Barcelona, includes a prize of one million euros.

The new novel returns to the narrative universe established in her 1982 debut, ‘La casa de los espíritus’, centering on the character Alba Trueba. Allende, who has sold over 80 million copies in 42 languages, noted the personal risk of entering a competition at age 84, comparing the decision to ‘remarrying at 80’.

Allende’s work is noted for blending family sagas with political memory and supernatural elements, often reflecting themes of exile and social transformation.