Isabel Allende, one of the most famous authors in the world, has just won the Planeta Prize. This is a very big deal in the world of books. The prize comes with €1 million in cash.

Here is the twist: She didn't enter the contest using her own name. She used a secret name, or a "pseudonym." This is a trick many writers use so the judges don't know who they are. They want the judges to pick the best book based on the writing alone, not on how famous the author is.

When the winner was announced, nobody knew who was behind the secret name. When they finally revealed that it was Isabel Allende, it was a huge surprise to everyone.

Allende said that winning the Planeta Prize feels as important to her as winning the Nobel Prize. The Nobel is often called the biggest, most important award a writer can get.

Allende is known for writing books about strength and how people handle hard times. She once said, "We all have an untapped inner strength." It seems she still has plenty of that strength herself.

This win has made headlines all over the world. It shows that even a writer as successful as Allende still loves the excitement of a good story and the challenge of writing something new.

Source: The Guardian