Prix Goncourt
| Prix Goncourt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded for | "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year" |
| Date | November, annual |
| Country | France |
| Presented by | Académie Goncourt |
| First awarded | 1903 |
| Website | academie-goncourt.fr |
The Prix Goncourt (French: Le prix Goncourt, IPA: [lə pʁi ɡɔ̃kuʁ], The Goncourt Prize) is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". Four other prizes are also awarded: prix Goncourt du Premier Roman (first novel), prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle (short story), prix Goncourt de la Poésie (poetry) and prix Goncourt de la Biographie (biography). Of the "big six" French literary awards, the Prix Goncourt is the best known and most prestigious;[1] the other major literary prizes are the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française, the Prix Femina, the Prix Renaudot, the Prix Interallié and the Prix Médicis.[1]
Contents
History[edit]
Edmond de Goncourt, a successful author, critic, and publisher, bequeathed his estate for the foundation and maintenance of the académie Goncourt.[2] In honour of his brother and collaborator, Jules Alfred Huot de Goncourt (1830–1870), the académie has awarded the Prix Goncourt every December since 1903;[2] the jury that determines the winner meets at the Drouant restaurant in November to make its decision.[3] Notable winners of the prize include Marcel Proust (In Search of Lost Time), Simone de Beauvoir (The Mandarins), André Malraux (Man's Fate) and Marguerite Duras (The Lover).[2]
The award was initially established to provide talented new authors with a monetary award that would allow them to write a second book.[4] Today, the Goncourt has a token prize amount (around 10 euros), about the same amount given in 1903, and so the prestige of the prize has been explained not because of the cash-value of the prize, but "in terms of the tremendous book sales it effects: the Goncourt winner becomes an instant millionaire."[5]
In 1987, the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens was established, as a collaboration between the académie Goncourt, the French Ministry of Education, and Fnac, a book, music, and movie retailer.
The Prix Renaudot is announced at the same ceremony as the Prix Goncourt, it has become known as something of a second-place prize.[6]
Controversies[edit]
Within months of the first prize in 1903, it spawned a "hostile counter-prize" in the form of the Prix Femina to counter the all-male Jury of the Goncourt with an all-female jury on the Femina.[7]
Some decisions for awarding the prize have been controversial, a famous case being the decision to award the prize in 1919 to Marcel Proust; this was met with indignation, since many in the public felt that the prize should have gone to Roland Dorgelès for Les Croix de bois, a novel about the First World War;[8][9] the prize was supposed to be awarded to promising young authors, whereas Proust was not considered "young" at 48 – however Proust was a beginning author which is the only eligibility requirement, age being unimportant.[8][9]
In 1921, Rene Maran won the Goncourt with Batouala, veritable roman negre, the first French novel to openly criticize European colonialism in Africa;[10] the novel caused "violent reactions" and was banned in all the French colonies.[10]
In 1932, the prize was controversial for passing up Louis-Ferdinand Céline's Voyage au bout de la nuit for Guy Mazeline's Les Loups;[11] the voting process became the basis of the 1992 book Goncourt 32 by Eugène Saccomano.[12]
Although the award may only be given to an author once, Romain Gary won it twice, in 1956 for Les racines du ciel and again under the pseudonym Émile Ajar in 1975 for La vie devant soi;[13] the Académie Goncourt awarded the prize to Ajar without knowing his real identity.[13] A period of literary intrigue followed. Gary's cousin's son Paul Pavlowitch posed as the author for a time. Gary later revealed the truth in his posthumous book Vie et mort d'Émile Ajar.[13]
Winners[edit]
- Notes
- Translations full audit: March 2009[28]
- Films full audit: February 2011[29]
- Translation date is of first translation, later ones may be available.
- Website of the Academie Goncourt with list of past winners.
Other awards[edit]
In addition to the Prix Goncourt for a novel, the Academy Awards four other awards, for first novel, short story, biography and poetry.
As of March 2009, the académie changed the award name by dropping "bourses" ("scholarship") from the title;[30][31] the prefix "prix" can be included or not, such as "Prix Goncourt de la Poésie" (Goncourt prize for Poetry) or "Goncourt de la Poésie" (Goncourt of Poetry). For example: "Claude Vigée was awarded a Goncourt de la Poésie in 2008". Or, "Claude Vigée won the 2008 prix Goncourt de la Poésie".
The award titles are:
| Pre-2009 award name | Post-2009 award name | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Bourse Goncourt de la Biographie | Prix Goncourt de la Biographie | Biography |
| Bourse Goncourt de la Nouvelle | Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle | Short story |
| Bourse Goncourt du Premier Roman | Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman | Debut novel |
| Bourse Goncourt de la Poésie | Prix Goncourt de la Poésie | Poetry |
| Bourse Goncourt Jeunesse | discontinued | Juvenile |
The winners are listed below.[32]
Prix Goncourt de la Biographie[edit]
Goncourt Prize for biography. Awarded in partnership with the city of Nancy.
- 1980 – Jean Lacouture, François Mauriac
- 1981 – Hubert Juin, Victor Hugo
- 1982 – Pierre Sipriot, René Depestre
- 1983 – Ghislain de Diesbach, Madame de Staël
- 1984 – Jeanne Champion, Suzanne Valadon
- 1985 – Georges Poisson, Laclos ou l'Obstination
- 1986 – Jean Canavaggio, Cervantes
- 1987 – Michel Surya, Georges Bataille, la mort à l'œuvre
- 1988 – Frédéric Vitoux, La Vie de Louis-Ferdinand Céline
- 1989 – Joanna Richardson, Judith Gautier
- 1990 – Pierre Citron, Giono
- 1991 – Odette Joyeux, Le Troisième œil, la vie de Nicéphore Niepce
- 1992 – Philippe Beaussant, Lully
- 1993 – Jean Bothorel, Louise de Vilmorin
- 1994 – David Bellos, Georges Perec
- 1995 – Henry Gidel, Les Deux Guitry
- 1996 – Anka Muhlstein, Astolphe de Custine
- 1997 – Jean-Claude Lamy, Prévert, les frères
- 1998 – Christian Liger, Le Roman de Rossel
- 1999 – Claude Pichois and Alain Brunet, Colette
- 2000 – Dominique Bona, Berthe Morisot
- 2001 – Laure Murat, La maison du docteur Blanche
- 2002 – Jean-Paul Goujon, Une Vie Secrète (1870–1925); Mille lettres de Pierre Louÿs à Georges Louis (1890–1917)
- 2003 – Pierre Billard, Louis Malle
- 2004 – Claude Dufresne, Appelez-moi George Sand
- 2005 – Thibaut d'Anthonay, Jean Lorrain
- 2006 – Angie David, Dominique Aury
- 2007 – Patrice Locmant, Huysmans, le forçat de la vie
- 2008 – Jennifer Lesieur, Jack London
- 2009 – Viviane Forrester, Virginia Woolf
- 2010 – Michel Winock, Madame de Stael
- 2011 – Maurizio Serra, Malaparte, vies et légendes
- 2012 – David Haziot, Le Roman des Rouart
- 2013 – Pascal Mérigeau, Jean Renoir
- 2014 – Jean Lebrun, Notre Chanel [33]
- 2015 – Jean-Christophe Attias, Moïse fragile[34]
- 2016 – Philippe Forest, Aragon
Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle[edit]
Goncourt Prize for short stories. Begun in 1974 in the form of scholarships. Awarded in partnership with the city of Strasbourg since 2001.
- 1974 – Daniel Boulanger, Fouette, cocher !
- 1975 – S. Corinna Bille, La Demoiselle sauvage
- 1976 – Antoine Blondin, Quat'saisons
- 1977 – Henri Gougaud, Départements et territoires d'outre-mort
- 1978 – Christiane Baroche, Chambres, avec vue sur le passé
- 1979 – Andrée Chedid, Le Corps et le Temps
- 1980 – Guy Lagorce, Les Héroïques
- 1981 – Annie Saumont, Quelquefois dans les cérémonies
- 1982 – René Depestre, Alléluia pour une femme-jardin
- 1983 – Raymond Jean, Un fantasme de Bella B.
- 1984 – Alain Gerber, Les Jours de vin et de roses
- 1985 – Pierrette Fleutiaux, Métamorphoses de la reine
- 1986 – Jean Vautrin, Baby-boom
- 1987 – Noëlle Châtelet, Histoires de bouche
- 1988 – Jean-Louis Hue, Dernières Nouvelles du Père Noël
- 1989 – Paul Fournel, Les Athlètes dans leur tête
- 1990 – Jacques Bens, Nouvelles désenchantées
- 1991 – Rafaël Pividal, Le Goût de la catastrophe
- 1992 – Catherine Lépront, Trois gardiennes
- 1993 – Mariette Condroyer, Un après-midi plutôt gai
- 1994 – Jean-Christophe Duchon-Doris, Les Lettres du baron
- 1996 – Ludovic Janvier, En mémoire du lit
- 1997 – François Sureau, Le Sphinx de Darwin
- 1999 – Elvire de Brissac, Les anges d'en bas
- 2000 – Catherine Paysan, Les Désarmés
- 2001 – Stéphane Denis, Elle a maigri pour le festival
- 2002 – Sébastien Lapaque, Mythologie Française
- 2003 – Philippe Claudel, Les petites mécaniques
- 2004 – Olivier Adam, Passer l'hiver
- 2005 – Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud, Singe savant tabassé par deux clowns
- 2006 – Franz Bartelt, Le Bar des habitudes
- 2007 – Brigitte Giraud, L'Amour est très surestimé
- 2008 – Jean-Yves Masson, Ultimes vérités sur la mort du nageur
- 2009 – Sylvain Tesson, Une vie à coucher dehors
- 2010 – Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Concerto à la mémoire d'un ange
- 2011 – Bernard Comment, Tout passe
- 2012 – Didier Daeninckx, L'Espoir en contrebande
- 2013 – Fouad Laroui, L'Étrange Affaire du pantalon de Dassoukine
- 2014 – Nicolas Cavaillès, Vie de monsieur Leguat[35]
- 2015 – Patrice Franceschi, Première personne du singulier[36]
- 2016 – Marie-Hélène Lafon, Histoires
Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman[edit]
Goncourt Prize for debut novel. Awarded in partnership with the municipality of Paris.
- 1990 – Hélène de Monferrand, Les amies d'Héloïse
- 1991 – Armande Gobry-Valle, Iblis ou la défroque du serpent
- 1992 – Nita Rousseau, Les iris bleus
- 1993 – Bernard Chambaz, L'arbre de vies
- 1994 – Bernard Lamarche-Vadel, Vétérinaires
- 1995 – Florence Seyvos, Les apparitions
- 1996 – Yann Moix, Jubilations vers le ciel
- 1997 – Jean-Christophe Rufin, L'abyssin
- 1998 – Shan Sa, Porte de la paix céleste
- 1999 – Nicolas Michel, Un revenant
- 2000 – Benjamin Berton, Sauvageons
- 2001 – Salim Bachi, Le chien d'Ulysse
- 2002 – Soazig Aaron, Le non de Klara
- 2003 – Claire Delannoy, La guerre, l'Amérique
- 2004 – Françoise Dorner, La fille du rang derrière
- 2005 – Alain Jaubert, Val Paradis
- 2006 – Hédi Kaddour, Waltenberg
- 2007 – Frédéric Brun, Perla
- 2008 – Jakuta Alikavazovic, Corps volatils
- 2009 – Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, Une éducation libertine
- 2010 – Laurent Binet, HHhH
- 2011 – Michel Rostain, Le Fils
- 2012 – François Garde, Ce qu'il advint du sauvage blanc
- 2013 – Alexandre Postel, Un homme effacé
- 2014 – Frédéric Verger, Arden[37]
- 2015 – Kamel Daoud, The Meursault Investigation[38]
- 2016 – Joseph Andras, De nos frères blessés. Author declined the prize.[39]
- 2017 – Maryam Madjidi, Marx et la poupée[40]
- 2018 - Mahir Guven, Grand frère
Prix Goncourt de la Poésie[edit]
| French literature |
|---|
| by category |
| French literary history |
| French writers |
| Portals |
Goncourt Prize for poetry. Established through the bequest of Adrien Bertrand (Prix Goncourt in 1914); the award is for the poet's entire career work.
- 1985 – Claude Roy
- 1986 – postponed to 1987[41]
- 1987 – Yves Bonnefoy
- 1988 – Eugène Guillevic
- 1989 – Alain Bosquet
- 1990 – Charles Le Quintrec
- 1991 – Jean-Claude Renard
- 1992 – Georges-Emmanuel Clancier
- 1993 – not awarded[41]
- 1994 – not awarded[41]
- 1995 – Lionel Ray
- 1996 – André Velter
- 1997 – Maurice Chappaz
- 1998 – Lorand Gaspar
- 1999 – Jacques Réda
- 2000 – Liliane Wouters
- 2001 – Claude Esteban
- 2002 – Andrée Chedid
- 2003 – Philippe Jaccottet
- 2004 – Jacques Chessex
- 2005 – Charles Dobzynski
- 2006 – Alain Jouffroy
- 2007 – Marc Alyn
- 2008 – Claude Vigée
- 2009 – Abdellatif Laabi
- 2010 – Guy Goffette
- 2011 – Vénus Khoury-Ghata
- 2012 – Jean-Claude Pirotte
- 2013 – Charles Juliet
- 2014 – not awarded
- 2015 – William Cliff [42]
- 2016 – Le Printemps des Poètes
- 2017 – Franck Venaille
Bourse Goncourt Jeunesse[edit]
Goncrout Prize for children's literature. Awarded in partnership with the municipality of Fontvieille. Discontinued after 2007.
- 1999 – Claude Guillot and Fabienne Burckel, Le fantôme de Shanghai
- 2000 – Eric Battut, Rouge Matou
- 2002 – Fred Bernard and François Roca, Jeanne and le Mokélé and Jesus Betz
- 2003 – Yvan Pommaux, Avant la Télé
- 2004 – Jean Chalon and Martine Delerm, Un arbre dans la lune
- 2005 – Natali Fortier, Lili Plume
- 2006 – Bernard du Boucheron and Nicole Claveloux, Un roi, une princesse and une pieuvre
- 2007 – Véronique Ovaldé and Joëlle Jolivet, La très petite Zébuline
See also[edit]
- Prix Renaudot – announced at the same ceremony as the Prix Goncourt, it has become something of a second-place prize.
- Prix Goncourt des Lycéens
- Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française
- List of French literary awards
For a more comprehensive overview a list of literary awards is available.
Notes and references[edit]
Notes
- ^ Pseudonym of Émile Chénin
- ^ Awarded in 1916. See footnote.[14]
- ^ See footnote.[14]
- ^ Volume 2 of In Search of Lost Time
- ^ First foreigner to win Prix Goncourt.
- ^ Published and awarded in 1946 due to WWII.
Non-fiction memoir. - ^ Refused prize.
- ^ The translated editions from 1975 & 2012 are the same by Martin Sokolinsky.
- ^ The rules of the Prix Goncourt state that an author can win only once. Gary had already won in 1956 for Les racines du ciel. However, since La vie devant soi was published under the pseudonym Émile Ajar, the Académie Goncourt awarded the prize without knowing the author's true identity. Gary's cousin's son Paul Pavlowitch posed as the author for a time.
References
- ^ a b Unwin, Timothy (1997). "Introduction". The Cambridge Companion to the French Novel: From 1800 to the Present. Cambridge University Press. p. xxii.
The 'big six' literary prizes in France have an extremely high profile and are, significantly, all awarded for novels. The best known and most prestigious is the Prix Goncourt; the other major literary prizes are the Grand Prix du Roman de l'Academie Francaise, the Prix Femina (awarded by a jury of women, though not necessarily to a female novelist), the Prix Renaudot, the Prix Interallie and the Prix Medicis.
- ^ a b c Burke, David (2008). Writers In Paris: Literary Lives in the City of Light. Counterpoint Press. p. 181. ISBN 9781593761578.
- ^ Glyn, Anthony (2000). The Companion Guide to Paris. Companion Guides. p. 98. ISBN 9781900639200.
- ^ Sally J. Scholz (2005). The Contradictions of Freedom: Philosophical Essays on Simone de Beauvoir's The Mandarins. SUNY Press. p. 18. ISBN 9780791465608.
- ^ James F English (2009). The Economy of Prestige: prizes, awards, and the circulation of cultural value. Harvard University Press. p. 61. ISBN 9780674036536.
- ^ Hollier, Denis (1994). A New History of French Literature. Harvard University Press. p. 967. ISBN 9780674615663.
- ^ James F English (2009). The Economy of Prestige: prizes, awards, and the circulation of cultural value. Harvard University Press. p. 61. ISBN 9780674036536.
- ^ a b Rodic, Vesna (2008). Lyricism and Politics in Paul Valery's Poetry and Poetic Theory and in "La Nouvelle Revue Francaise", 1909—1939. ProQuest. ISBN 9781109096477.
- ^ a b Katherine Ashley (ed) (2004). "L'Attribution du prix Goncourt à Proust en 1919". Prix Goncourt, 1902–2003: essals critiques (in French). Bern: Peter Lang.CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
- ^ a b Unwin, Timothy (1997). "The colonial and postcolonial Francophone novel". The Cambridge Companion to the French Novel: From 1800 to the Present. Cambridge University Press. p. 195.
- ^ Katherine Ashley (ed) (2004). Prix Goncourt, 1902–2003: essals critiques (in French). Bern: Peter Lang. p. 16. ISBN 9783039100187.CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
- ^ Lapaque, Sébastien (16 September 1999). "Céline-Mazeline sur le ring". Le Figaro (in French). Missing or empty
|url=(help) - ^ a b c Katherine Ashley (ed) (2004). "Avant propos". Prix Goncourt, 1902–2003: essals critiques (in French). Bern: Peter Lang.CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
- ^ a b No award was given in 1914 due to the war. In 1916 two awards were given, one for 1916 (Barbusse) and one for 1914 (Bertrand).
- ^ Nène at IMDb
- ^ Raboliot at IMDb
- ^ Raboliot at IMDb
- ^ Un homme se penche sur son passé at IMDb
- ^ Les amants de rivière rouge at IMDb
- ^ L'Ordre at IMDb
- ^ Les grandes familles at IMDb
- ^ Léon Morin, prêtre at IMDb
- ^ Les eaux mêlées at IMDb
- ^ Quand la mer se retire at IMDb
- ^ Translated by David Dugan. The Dirty Goat, issue 18, pg. 170 Archived 14 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ La Nuit sacrée at IMDb
- ^ One Way Ticket at IMDb
- ^ Sources used for checking translations: OpenLibrary.org, Amazon.com, LibraryThing.com
- ^ Source used for checking films: imdb.com
- ^ Autres prix décernés par l'Académie Goncourt
- ^ Les Goncourt surfent, Le Figaro, 29 January 2009
- ^ Autres prix décernés par l'Académie Goncourt: Lauréats
- ^ "Le Goncourt de la biographie à Jean Lebrun pour "Notre Chanel"". lepoint.fr (in French). AFP. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ Eloy, Morgane (3 June 2015). "Jean-Christophe Attias, prix Goncourt de la biographie". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ Marie-Christine Imbault (4 March 2014). "Le Goncourt de la Nouvelle récompense Nicolas Cavaillès". livreshebdo.fr (in French). Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ Auproux, Agathe (5 May 2015). "Le prix Goncourt de la nouvelle est attribué à Patrice Franceschi". livreshebdo.fr (in French). Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ Dargent, Françoise (4 March 2013). "Frédéric Verger, Goncourt du premier roman". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- ^ "Le Goncourt du premier roman 2015". Academie Goncourt. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ^ John Dugdale (21 May 2016). "How to turn down a prestigious literary prize – a winner's guide to etiquette". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ "Le Goncourt du premier roman à Maryam Madjidi". Éditions Attila. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ^ a b c http://www.academie-goncourt.fr/?article=1358369616
- ^ Auproux, Agathe (5 May 2015). "Le prix Goncourt de la poésie Robert Sabatier est décerné à William Cliff". Livres Hebdo (in French). Retrieved 3 July 2015.
