The Belgian novelist Amélie Nothomb, whose novel "Soif" is at the top of book sales for several weeks, was selected Sunday in Cabourg, Calvados, among the four finalists of the Goncourt prize.
The most prestigious literary prize in the French-speaking world will be awarded on November 4 in Paris.
A price that still escapes the novelist legendary hats
The novelist with legendary hats, author acclaimed by the public for years, has already appeared in two selections of Goncourt ... in 1999 for "Stupor and tremor" and in 2007 for his book "Neither Eve nor Adam" without ever getting it. The last major prize won by the 53-year-old Belgian writer dates back to 1999 when she was laureate of the Grand Prix of the novel by the Académie française for "Stupeur et tremblements". Amélie Nothomb will have to confront Jean-Luc Coatalem ("The part of the son", Stock), Jean-Paul Dubois ("All men do not live the world in the same way", L'Olivier) and Olivier Rolin ( "Exterior world", Gallimard).
In her 28th novel, "Soif" (Albin Michel), the Belgian novelist puts herself in the shoes of Jesus just before his crucifixion. Jean-Luc Coatalem goes in search of his grandfather who died during the Second World War in "The Share of the Son" (Stock) and Jean-Paul Dubois tells with great empathy the story of two detainees who oppose everything in "All men do not live in the same way" (L'Olivier). Olivier Rolin's last finalist book, "Outside World" (Gallimard), is more of a story than a novel.
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"This is the novel of his life," tempered Pierre Assouline, a member of the jury. Last year, the Goncourt jury refused to select Philippe Lançon's "Le flambeau" on the pretext that it was not a novel. "I chair a jury full of contradictions", fun Bernard Pivot. The jury almost complete (Virginie Despentes was absent for "personal reasons") has unveiled its ultimate selection in a lounge of the Grand Hotel de Cabourg, chosen on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the award of the Goncourt prize to Marcel Proust.
It is at the Grand Hotel that Proust wrote a large part of "In the shadow of young girls in bloom", the second volume of "In Search of Lost Time", awarded the Goncourt Prize in 1919. The Grand Hotel is present in his work under the name of "Grand Hôtel de Balbec".
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The authors not selected in the final selection are still in contention for the Goncourt high school students. The young jurors choose their laureate among the authors chosen by the academicians Goncourt (with the exception of Léonora Miano who already obtained this award in 2006) during their first selection. The winner of Goncourt high school students will be known Thursday, November 14. Last year, the Goncourt prize was awarded to Nicolas Mathieu for "Their children after them" (Actes Sud) and the Goncourt high school students to David Diop for "Brother of soul" (Seuil).