“There was a before and an after at the professional level”, confides Hervé Le Tellier, winner in 2020

Kamel Daoud, Gaël Faye, Hélène Gaudy and Sandrine Collette are the four finalists for the most prestigious French literary prize which will be awarded on Monday.

“The Goncourt is truly the Prize of Prizes, the one which, without doubt, has the most effect on the careers of authors and the life of books”tells Franceinfo Sunday November 3 Hervé Le Tellier, winner in 2020 for his novel L’Anomalie. The 2024 Goncourt Prize is due to be unveiled on Monday at Drouant, the historic Parisian restaurant founded in 1880, home of the famous Goncourt and Renaudot literary prizes.

“There was a before and after at the professional level”confirms the writer. With an emphasis on his previously published books, “it makes them stand out” in terms of sales, and there are also “more translations” internationally. “It completely changed my relationship with my banker, that’s for sure”he smiles.

Each winner receives a symbolic check for ten euros, which it is traditional to frame. “It’s still in a drawer,” he confesses. The impact on the sale of his novel, published by Gallimard, was significant, with nearly “1.6 million copies sold, between paperback, paperback and audio or digital book”. “It’s considerable”recognizes the writer, president of OuLiPo. The Anomaly is the second best-selling Prix Goncourt in history.

This year, it’s novels Madelaine before dawn by Sandrine Collette (JC Lattès), Houris by Kamel Daoud (Gallimard), Jacaranda by Gaël Faye (Grasset) and Archipelagos by Hélène Gaudy (L’Olivier), who are finalists.