Isabel Allende wins the Planeta Prize 2026 with 'The Hour Before Dawn'

Isabel Allende has been awarded the Planeta Prize 2026 for her novel 'The Hour Before Dawn', a sequel to her best-known work, 'The House of the Spirits'. This award, now in its 75th edition, comes with a prize of one million euros and was presented at an event presided over by the Kings of Spain.

At 84 years old, Allende joins the list of distinguished winners of the Planeta Prize, which includes names like Mario Vargas Llosa and Eduardo Mendoza. The Chilean author has been linked to Plaza & Janés since 1982.

The winning work continues to explore themes that have defined Allende's writing, particularly in relation to Chile's history. The author has expressed a renewed fear for the current state of democracies, similar to the one that led her to leave Chile in 1973, as she noted in her speech after receiving the award.

The jury for this edition of the Planeta Prize also selected screenwriter Sergio Hernández as a finalist. However, the award has gone to Allende, whose proposal aims to reclaim the international recognition of the prize.

The author stated that this was her first time entering a literary competition, referencing her desire to avoid the potential humiliation of not being selected. With this award, Allende reaffirms her position as one of the most widely read authors in Spanish worldwide.

The Planeta Prize is considered one of the most prestigious in the Hispanic literary sphere, and Allende's victory marks a significant event in her career. The award not only rewards her but also revitalizes interest in her previous work, particularly 'The House of the Spirits', which remains a benchmark in contemporary literature.