The Medici Prize is awarded to Julia Deck for “Ann of England”

The Medici prizes for foreign novels and essays were also awarded on Wednesday.

The Medici Prize was awarded on Wednesday November 6, 2024 to Julia Deck for an autobiographical novel dedicated to her mother, Ann of Englandpublished by Editions du Seuil.

The narrator’s mother has just had a stroke and finds herself diminished, so much so that communication with her has become almost impossible. The writer is an only child, of a mother who lives alone, and with whom we guess that she had a close relationship. We all face it one day or another as the years go by. But for Julia Deck, this rupture in life marks the start of an investigation that we feel is imperative.

“I am very moved to have this award“, declared the winner at the La Méditerranée restaurant located on Place de l’Odéon in Paris. Julia Deck won with five votes to Thomas Clerc’s four, in the third round.

The Medici Prize for the foreign novel went to the Guatemalan Eduardo Halfon, for Tarantula (Quai Voltaire editions). He received four votes against two for the Austrian Josef Winkler in the eighth round. “I am happy, shocked to arrive in this very official ceremony“, commented the winner.

The Medici essay prize was awarded to the German Reiner Stach for the third volume of his biography of Franz Kafka, The years of youth. It took only one round, where he received six votes.