Each return to school has its own rituals. As for French literature, this is punctuated by the announcement of the first selection for the Prix Goncourt. 16 novels first, then 8 novels, before revealing 4 finalists and finally the revelation of the Prize, this Monday, November 4, 2024. Since 1903 (which makes it the oldest French literary prize), it has thus worked to reward “the best work of imagination in prose” among those published in the current year. Last year, it was the author and screenwriter Jean-Baptiste Andrea who had seen himself sacred, and his novel Watch over her (Iconoclast editions), which has since sold more than 600,000 copies in large format. Thus, although the Prix Goncourt only offers a financial prize of €10, it ensures significant sales for the winning work. Let's quote The Anomaly d’Hervé Le Tellierpublished by Gallimard, which continues to enjoy success in pocket format with nearly 1.5 million copies sold.
In 2024, to succeed Jean-Baptiste Andreathe Goncourt Academy crowns the writer Camel Daoud pour Houris. which recounts the civil war which pitted the Algerian government against terrorist groups during the Black Decade. A trauma told by a narrator seeking forgiveness from her sister who did not survive. An unsurprising selection, knowing that the work of Camel Daoud was among the great favorites of the literary season, in addition to being a favorite of French Vogue. Gail Faye won the Renaudot prize for his work Jacaranda published by Grasset editions.
Who were the first feathers selected by the Prix Goncourt 2024?
Widely criticized for its lack of parity, this year the Prix Goncourt selection established a first selection made up of 6 women and 10 men, as proof of a difficult progress towards total equality. The second selection included 3 female writers for 5 writers and the last, 2 writers for 2 female writers. The members of the Goncourt Academy include among its current jurors the authors Christine Angot (arrival in March following the withdrawal of Patrick Rambaud for health reasons), Paule Constant (honorary member), Françoise Chandernagor, Camille Laurens as well asEric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Pierre Assouline, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Pascal Bruckner, Didier Decoinunder the presidency of Philippe Claudel.
Among the first selection, we found some favorite books from Vogue, including The Lost Children's Club of Rebecca Lighieri (pseudonym ofEmmanuelle Bayamack-Tam), which traces a story in two voices, shared between a father and his daughter, Miranda. The first, a handsome actor, married to one of his fascinating peers, has a hard time understanding the personality of the woman he saw grow up and then sink into unfathomable malaise. Funny, dramatic, and always wonderfully well written. Alongside him slipped a first novel, that of Ruben Barrouk : All the noise of Guéliz (Albin Michel). A work in which the author's grandmother, Paulette, is the main character, based in Marrakech in this story of graceful depth. However, these two works did not pass the second selection stage.
Today it is Camel Daoud who is rewarded for Houris. At 54, the Franco-Algerian is therefore rewarded for his commitment to both politics and literature. Indeed, Algerian law prohibits discussing the civil war – its publisher, Gallimard, will not be able to attend the Algiers literary fair organized this week. The story of Camel Daoud is built like a dive into the heart of the dark decade in Algeria. Ten years after the great Meursault, counter-investigationwho returned in the footsteps of the Camusian stranger, Camel Daoud signs a novel with multiple opacities and a poetry served by subtle interior monologues – which only further serve the infinite violence of men blinded by obscurantism. Discover the different selections for the Prix Goncourt 2024 below.
The finalists for the 2024 Prix Goncourt were:
- Sandrine Collette, Madelaine before dawn (JC Lattes)
- Camel Daoud, Houris (Gallimard)
- Gail Faye, Jacaranda (Grasset)
- Hélène Gaudy, Archipelagos (The Olivier)
The novels in the second selection were:
- Sandrine Collette, Madelaine before dawn (JC Lattes)
- Camel Daoud, Houris (Gallimard)
- Gail Faye, Jacaranda (Grasset)
- Hélène Gaudy, Archipelagos (The Olivier)
- Philippe Jaenada, Casualness is a beautiful thing (Mialet-Barrault)
- Maylis of Kerangal, Surf day (Vertical)
- Jean-Noël Orengo“You are the Führer's unhappy love” (Grasset)
- Abdellah Taïa, The Bastion of Tears (Julliard)
The novels in the first selection were:
- Ruben Barrouk, All the noise of Guéliz (Albin Michel)
- Thomas Clerc, Paris Museum of the 21st century (Les éditions de Minuit)
- Etienne Kern, The better life (Gallimard)
- Emmanuelle Lambert, No respect (Stock)
- Rebecca Lighieri, The Lost Children's Club (P.O.L)
- Carole Martinez, Sleep your brute sleep (Gallimard)
- Thibault de Montaigu, Heart (Albin Michel)
- Olivier Norek, The Winter Warriors (Michel Lafon)
More culture on Vogue.fr:
The 15 novels you must have read in your life
Literary return to school 2024: 10 French books to absolutely read
The 5 books by Simone de Beauvoir that you absolutely must read
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