Four novels compete for the Goncourt prize awarded this Monday

A bookstore in Cannes, November 13, 2020. -

Two days after the bookstores reopen, the literary world will crown its new king or new queen.

A crazy novel with an intriguing title, a poignant story on forced marriage, a dive into a family history and a fresco on Morocco are competing for the Goncourt prize, awarded this Monday in a new format.

Le Renaudot at 12.50 p.m.

The health crisis and the closure of restaurants, so in Drouant, in the Opera district in Paris, forced the jury to fall back on a videoconference and to do without deliberations at the table.

The name of the winner will be announced at 12 noon for the most prestigious prize in French literature.

Then, at 12.50 p.m., it will be followed by another prize, the Renaudot, which rewards a novel as well as an essay.

For the literary journalists interviewed by the specialized monthly Livres Hebdo, it is Hervé Le Tellier who holds the rope for Goncourt, with

.

In addition to being published by Gallimard, an often awarded publishing house, this book, built like a clever construction game and breathtaking suspense, has for him to have already convinced a large audience.

However, the Académie Goncourt could prefer

(editions Emmanuelle Colas) by Cameroonian Djaïli Amadou Amal, who has already defied all forecasts by arriving in the last selection.

If it rewarded this poignant story on the oppression of women forcibly married, the Goncourt would breathe new life into the prize list by dedicating an author from sub-Saharan Africa, hitherto unknown to the circles of the Parisian edition.

The other two finalist novels keep all their chances: 

by Camille de Toledo (Verdier editions), a vast reflection on the weight of the family heritage, and

by Maël Renouard (Grasset), a brilliant exercise style that describes from the inside the Moroccan monarchy in the last century.

A partly renewed jury

In addition to unprecedented conditions, the Goncourt is distinguished this year by a partly renewed jury.

The journalist Bernard Pivot left the presidency of the Academy at the end of 2019, and the novelist Virginie Despentes resigned in early 2020. The essayist Pascal Bruckner and the novelist Camille Laurens have joined the jury now chaired by the writer Didier Decoin.

At Renaudot, the journalist and writer Jérôme Garcin resigned in March with the intention of creating a renewal and promoting the presence of women on the jury.

He has not yet found a successor.

Media

The "New York Times" reveals the conflicts of interest and the self-esteem of literary prizes

Culture

Readers of "20 Minutes" praise "Les Impatientes" by Djaïli Amadou Amal

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