Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt (French: Le prix Goncourt , [ lə pʁi ɡɔ̃'kuʁ ]) is a French literary prize that has been awarded by the Académie Goncourt since 1903 . Originally, the award only honored the best French-language novel of the year , but the Prix Goncourt is now also awarded in four other categories. In addition, a separately organized prize for the reading promotion of schoolchildren is awarded under his name. The Prix Goncourt, which is awarded every November for the best novel, is the oldest and most important literary prize in France.
history
The award was named after the writer brothers Edmond and Jules de Goncourt . Edmond de Goncourt established in his will in 1896 the establishment of an Académie Goncourt and the foundation of the Prix Goncourt.
Since 1903 it has been awarded in late autumn, usually in November, by the Académie Goncourt , founded in 1900, and is intended to honor the best narrative work that has been published in French this year. Its award is the most important event of the so-called “rentrée littéraire”, the mass publication of new works from mid-August, so typical of literary life in France. H. about the same time as the "rentrée", the return of the French from vacation and the start of the new school year.
Although it is only endowed with a symbolic 10 euros , the Prix Goncourt is extremely popular with authors because it has a strong influence on the sales success of a work. According to a study by GfK that was commissioned by the magazine Livres Hebdo , the Prix Goncourt was by far the most influential literary prize for the French book market in the period 2014-2018:
| Literature Prize | Novel sales (Ø 2014-2018) |
|---|---|
| Prix Goncourt | 367.100 |
| Prix Goncourt des lycéens | 314,000 |
| Prix Renaudot | 219,800 |
| Prix du roman Fnac | 171,300 |
|
Grand Prix du Roman ( Académie française ) |
116,300 |
| Prix Femina | 85,500 |
| Prix Interallié | 46,900 |
| Prix Médicis | 34,600 |
The prize is awarded for novels; there are also Goncourt prizes for poets , first novels, short stories and biographies .
There are always conspiracy theories according to which jury members join forces in order to favor the publishers they are close to. So there was the bad word of a cartel "Galligrasseuil" ( Gallimard , Grasset, Seuil ).
Categories
Prizes awarded by the Académie Goncourt:
| category | Original title | awarded since |
|---|---|---|
| novel | Le Prix Goncourt | 1903 |
| biography | Prix Goncourt de la Biographie Edmonde Charles-Roux | 1980 |
| Debut novel | Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman | 1991 |
| Short story | Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle | 1977 |
| poetry | Prix Goncourt de la Poésie Robert Sabatier | 1985 |
Since 1988, the Prix Goncourt des lycéens has been awarded separately under the auspices of the Académie Goncourt and in order to promote reading for French students . Similar prizes existed under the title Le Choix Goncourt de… also abroad at school and / or university level, often organized in collaboration with the Institut français . Such awards are currently being held in Poland (since 1998), Serbia (since 2012), the Middle East (first awarded in 2012 in Lebanon as Le choix de l'Orient ), Italy and Romania (both since 2013), Switzerland and Tunisia (both since 2015), Belgium (since 2016), Slovenia and Spain (both since 2017).
Selection process and jury
To take part in the Prix Goncourt, the work must be written in French and published by a Francophone publisher. A publisher submits his selection of works to the jury members between the end of June and August 16 (best novel), January (best debut novel), February (best short story) or April (best biography). Only the prize for poetry is awarded to the complete works of a poet.
The jury consists of ten writers, called "the ten", who are not also allowed to be members of the Académie française . The jury has been meeting since 1914 in a salon on the first floor of the Drouant restaurant in Paris on Rue Gaillon near the Opéra Garnier . The French master chef Auguste Escoffier was responsible for the menu when the jury first met on February 26, 1903.
Members of the Académie Goncourt
Current jury members are:
| Seat | Surname | Born | since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernard Pivot | 1935 | 2004 |
| 2 | Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt | 1960 | 2016 |
| 3 | Didier Decoin | 1945 | 1995 |
| 4th | Paule Constant | 1944 | 2013 |
| 5 | Patrick Rambaud | 1946 | 2008 |
| 6th | Tahar Ben Jelloun | 1944 | 2006 |
| 7th | Virginie Despentes | 1969 | 2016 |
| 8th | Françoise Chandernagor | 1945 | 1995 |
| 9 | Philippe Claudel | 1962 | 2012 |
| 10 | Pierre Assouline | 1953 | 2012 |
former members
literature
- Olivier Boura: Un siècle de Goncourt . éditions Arléa, Paris 2003, ISBN 2-86959-633-2 .
Web links
- Official website (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Le prix Goncourt à l'heure de vérité . In: lepoint.fr, November 4, 2019 (accessed November 4, 2019).
- ↑ Le Choix Goncourt de… . In: academie-goncourt.fr (accessed October 28, 2017).
- ↑ Comment participer aux prix . In: academie-goncourt.fr (accessed October 22, 2017).
- ↑ Timothy Shaw: The world of Auguste Escoffier. from the English by Eva L. Wahser, Heyne, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-465-08036-X , p. 58