The Prix Goncourt is widely seen as France’s version of the Nobel prize for literature
The winner of the 2024 Prix Goncourt was announced today (November 4) in Paris, with the title being awarded to author Kamel Daoud for his novel Houris.
The book, written by the 54-year old Franco-Algerian author, is set during the Algerian Civil War, known as the dark decade (black decade) in French.
It covers some of the atrocities of the war that shaped the country at the end of the 20th century.
Banned in Algeria for its controversy, the novel already won the Prix Landerneau, founded by supermarket magnate Michel-Edouard Leclerc, earlier this year.
The author previously won a subsidiary prize of the Prix Goncourt for debut novelists in 2015, for his book Meursault, counter-investigation (translated into English as The Meursault Investigations).
It provided a retelling of the novel The Stranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus, focusing on the life of the unnamed Arab man murdered in Camus’ classic as opposed to the main protagonist Meursault.
The Connexion recently included The Stranger as one of our top audiobook picks to improve your French.
Read more: Five audiobooks to listen to improve your French
Mr Daoud is the first author to win both the main prix Goncourt title and that offered for a debut novel.
What is the prize?
Mr Daoud will only receive a symbolic €10 alongside the title but the recognition will undoubtedly boost sales of the novel.
The Prix Goncourt is widely regarded as the most prestigious of France’s ‘big six’ literary prizes, and the most well-known internationally.
Previous winners include Leïla Slimani and the controversial Michel Houellebecq.
Authors do not necessarily have to be French, but the novel must be written originally in the French language.
Mr Daoud was born and raised in Algeria and naturalised as a French citizen in 2020.
Despite winning both the prize for debut authors and the main title, Mr Daoud will not be awarded the title again, as each can only be given once to an author.
Novelist Romain Gary famously won the main prize twice, after submitting a novel under a pseudonym and hiring his nephew to pose as the author in public.
Read more: What is French Prix Goncourt?
