Novelist Isabel Allende wins Denmark's biggest literary prize

COPENHAGEN, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chilean-American author Isabel Allende, renowned for her works of magical realism, was awarded Denmark's biggest literature prize at a ceremony in Odense city, central Denmark, on Sunday.

Allende received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award (HCALA), and accompanying 86,000 U.S. dollars prize money, from Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik at a gala event at Odense Concert Hall.

Odense is the birthplace of 19th-century Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, who is world famous for his fairytales.

Allende, 70, has had a close relationship with Denmark in recent years after she was made a Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador in 2004, and subsequently promoted the Danish writer's work in Chile. In 2005, Allende participated in events marking the 200th birth anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen, in Copenhagen.

"I will never be comparable to Hans Christian Andersen," Allende said to Danish broadcaster DR News ahead of the ceremony Sunday

However, she acknowledged her literary fellowship with the Danish author, as both writers' works are driven by the powers of fantasy and imagination.