discover the first selections of the Médicis, Femina, Goncourt prizes…

The juries begin their first sorting among the books that have caught their attention. The selections will be refined during the fall.

Lhe literary awards season was launched by the first selection of the Prix Décembre on September 2, followed the next day by that of the Prix Goncourt, then the Renaudot. The 2023 vintage was marked by great texts by female writers (Neige Sinno, Laure Murat, Maria Pourchet, etc.) and a few cautious choices. We will have to wait a few more days or weeks before trends emerge, depending on the selections of the juries. For the moment, five writers are in the lead with three nominations: Étienne Kern, Gaël Faye, Miguel Bonnefoy, Julia Deck and Hubert Haddad. The lists of authors will first multiply before being refined during the fall to designate only a handful of winners. An update on the books that caught the eye.

December Price

The jury of the December Prize unveiled on Monday, September 2, a selection of eleven novels (as opposed to the usual ten). A second selection will be announced on October 8. The winner will be announced on October 29.

Louise Chenneviere, For Britney (POL)
Christophe Bigot, Another one is waiting for me elsewhere (La Martiniere)
Beatrice Commengé, Never arrive (Greenfinch)
Aurelien Bellanger, The Last Days of the Socialist Party (Threshold)
Arnaud Guigue, I am the one you are looking for (The Arenas)
Joy Majdalani, Jessica alone in a room (Grasset)
Julia Deck, Ann of England (Threshold)
Justine Augier, Legal entity (Actes Sud)
Abdellah Taia, The Bastion of Tears (Julliard)
Laure Gauthier, Melusine Reloaded (Corti)
Helen Giannecchini, An excessive desire for friendship (Threshold)

Goncourt Prize

The Goncourt Academy announced on Tuesday, September 3, the sixteen novels selected for the 2024 Prix Goncourt. On October 1, this list will be narrowed to eight novels, then to four on October 22. The winner will be announced on November 4.

Ruben Barrouk, All the noise of Guéliz (Albin Michel)
Thomas Clerc, Paris Museum of the 21st Century (Midnight Editions)
Sandrine Collette, Madelaine before dawn (JC Lattès)
Kamel Daoud, Houris (Gallimard)
Gael Faye, Jacaranda (Grasset)
Helen Gaudy, Archipelagos (The Olive Tree)
Philippe Jaenada, Casualness is a beautiful thing. (Mialet-Barrault)
Maylis of Kerangal, Day of surf (Vertical)
Etienne Kern, The Better Life (Gallimard)
Emmanuelle Lambert, No respect (Stock)
Rebecca Lighieri, The Lost Boys Club (POL)
Carole Martinez, Sleep your brute sleep (Gallimard)
Thibault of Montaigu, Heart (Albin Michel)
Olivier Norek, The Winter Warriors (Michel Lafon)
Jean-Noel Orengo, “You are the Führer’s unhappy love” (Grasset)
Abdellah Taia, The Bastion of Tears (Julliard)

Renaudot Prize

They will be awarded on November 4, just after the Prix Goncourt. Second selections: October 3; 3^{it is} selections: October 24.

For novels

Elisabeth Barillé, The Sisters and other living species (Arlea)
Miguel Bonnefoy, The Jaguar’s Dream (Shorelines)
Gregory Bouillier, The Orangery Syndrome (Flammarion)
Hemley Boom, The Fisherman’s Dream (Gallimard)
Antoine Choplin, Masao’s Boat (Buchet Chastel)
Kamel Daoud, Houris (Gallimard)
Gael Faye, Jacaranda (Grasset)
Hubert Haddad, The Atlantic Symphony (Zulma)
Philippe Jaenada, Casualness is a beautiful thing. (Mialet/Barrault)
Patrice Jean, The Life of Ghosts (Cherche-Midi)
Karim Kattan, Eden at dawn (Elyzad)
Etienne Kern, The Better Life (Gallimard)
Benjamin de Laforcade, Berlin for them (Gallimard)
Thibault of Montaigu, Heart (Albin Michel)
Olivier Norek, The Winter Warriors (Michel Lafon)
Jean-Noel Orengo, “You are the Führer’s unhappy love” (Grasset)
Abel Quentin, Hut (The Observatory)
Isabelle Sorente, Medusa (JC Lattès)

For testing

Pierre Adrian, Hotel Roma (Gallimard)
Christophe Bigot, Another one is waiting for me elsewhere (La Martiniere)
Pierre Ducrozet, Self-portrait without me (Mercury of France)
Theo Delincak, My fall will be my momentum (Leduc/Wagram)
Ananda Devi, Night adds to night (Stock)
Maya Hruska, Ten Versions of Kafka (Grasset)
Sebastien Lapaque, Checkmate in Paradise (Actes Sud)
Blanche Leridon, My Sisters’ Castle (The Peregrines)
François-Guillaume Lorrain, They had to be helped (Flammarion)
Frederic Pajak, Nietzsche at the piano (Black on white)
Dorcy Rugamba, Hewa Rwanda, Letters to the Absent (JC Lattès)

Femina Prize

It will be awarded by a jury composed of women on November 5. Second selections: November 1^er October; 3^{it is} selections: October 22.

Pierre Adrian, Hotel Roma (Gallimard)
Emma Becker, The Pretty Evil (Albin Michel)
Christophe Bigot, Another one is waiting for me elsewhere (La Martiniere)
Miguel Bonnefoy, The Jaguar’s Dream (Shorelines)
Gregory Bouillier, The Orangery Syndrome (Flammarion)
Doan Bui, The Land of Nowhere (Grasset)
Antoine Choplin, Masao’s Boat (Buchet Chastel)
Julia Deck, Ann of England (Threshold)
Gael Faye, Jacaranda (Grasset)
Helen Gaudy, Archipelagos (Editions de l’Olivier)
Shane Haddad, Love Gil (POL)
Etienne Kern, The Better Life (Gallimard)
Benjamin de Laforcade, Berlin for them (Gallimard)
Guillaume Perilhou, The Serpent’s Crown (The Observatory)
Gabriela Zalapì, Ilaria (Zoe)

Foreign novels

Alaa El Aswany, In the evening of Alexandria (Actes Sud)
Vera Bogdanova, Toxic season for fetuses (Actes Sud)
Susie Boyt, Missed loves (The Crossroads)
Mircea Cărtărescu, Theodoros (Black on white)
Michael Cunningham, One day in April (Threshold)
Richard Flanagan, Question 7 (Actes Sud)
Charles Frazier, The Trackers (Plon)
Anna Funder, The Invisible Mrs. Orwell (Heloise d’Ormesson)
Nathan Hill, Well-being (Gallimard)
Benjamin Labatut, Maniac (Grasset)
Marco Lodoli, So little (POL)
Elizabeth O’Connor, On the island (JC Lattès)
Katja Schönherr, The Ruck Family (Zoe)
Peter Stamm, The Blue Hour (Christian Bourgois)
Colm Toibin, Long Island (Grasset)
Alia Trabucco Zerán, Own (Robert Laffont)

Medici Prize

It will be awarded on November 6, 2024. Second selections: October 9.

French novels

Miguel Bonnefoy, The Jaguar’s Dream (Shorelines)
Gregory Cingal, The last ones on the list (Grasset)
Thomas Clerc, Paris, museum of the 21st century(Midnight)
Julia Deck, Ann of England (Threshold)
Elisabeth Filhol, Sister-ship(POL)
Laure Gauthier, Melusine reloaded (Corti)
Shane Haddad, Love Gil (POL)
Emmanuelle Lambert, No respect (Stock)
Emilienne Malfatto and photographs by Rafael Roa, Absence is a black-haired woman ((Basement Editions)
Clement Ribes, A thousand images of Jeremiah (Vertical)
Jennifer Richard, Infinite life(Philippe Rey)
Abdellah Taia, The Bastion of Tears (Julliard)
Philippe Vasset, Diary of a Blackmailer (Flammarion)
Felicia Viti, The vertical girl (Gallimard)
Cecile Wajsbrot, Full sky (The Sound of Time)
Gabriella Zalapi, Ilaria (Zoe)

Foreign novels

Vera Bogdanova, Toxic season for fetuses, translated from Russian by Laurence Foulon (Actes Sud)
Mircea Cărtărescu, Theodorostranslated from Romanian by Laure Hinkel (Editions Noir sur blanc)
Richard Flanagan, Question 7translated from English (Australia) by Serge Chauvin (Actes sud)
Amira Ghenim, The disaster of the house of notablestranslated from Arabic (Tunisia) by Souad Labbize (Philippe Rey)
Eduardo Halfon, Tarantulatranslated from Spanish (Guatemala) by David Fauquemberg (Quai Voltaire)
Benjamin Labatut, Maniactranslated from English (Chile) by David Fauquemberg (Grasset)
Marco Lodoli, So littletranslated from Italian by Louise Boudonnat (POL)
Sang Young Park, Loving each other in the big citytranslated from Korean by Pierre Bisiou & Choi Kyungran (La Croisée)
Katja Schönherr, The Ruck Familytranslated from German by Barbara Fontaine (Zoé)
Alia Trabucco Zerán, Owntranslated from Spanish (Chile) by Anne Plantagenet (Robert Laffont)
Undine Radzevičiūte, The Library of Beauty and Eviltranslated from Lithuanian by Margarita Barakauskaité – Le Borgne (Viviane Hamy)
Camila Sosa Villada, History of a domesticationtranslated from Spanish (Argentina) by Laura Alcoba (Métailié)
Peter Stamm, The blue hourtranslated from German (Swiss) by Pierre Deshusses, (Bourgois)
Josef Winkler, The fieldtranslated from German (Austria) by Bernard Banoun (Verdier)

Flora Prize

It will be awarded on November 7. Second selection: October 9.

Pierre Deram, Nights (Grasset)
Alice Develey, Fallen from the sky (The Iconoclast)
Romane Lafore, The confession (Flammarion)
Rebecca Lighieri, The Lost Boys Club (POL)
Joy Majdalani, Jessica alone in a room (Grasset)
Jean-Pierre Montal, The North Face (Séguier)
Benjamin Stock, Mark (Fromentin Street)
Daphne Tamage, The Return of Saturn (Stock)
Nagui Zinet, An exemplary trajectory (Joelle Losfeld)

Grand Prize for the novel of the French Academy

It will be awarded on October 24. Second selection: October 10.

Abigail Assor, The Night of David (Gallimard)
Miguel Bonnefoy, The Jaguar’s Dream (Shorelines)
Gregory Cingal, Latest on the list (Grasset)
Kamel Daoud, Houris (Gallimard)
Gael Faye, Jacaranda (Grasset)
Delphine Minoui, Badjens (Threshold)
Thibault of Montaigu, Heart (Albin Michel)
Jean-Noel Orengo, You are the Führer’s unhappy love (Grasset)
Abel Quentin, Hut (Observatory Editions)
Abdellah Taia, The Bastion of Tears (Julliard)

Goncourt High School Students’ Prize

It will be awarded on November 28, 2024.