Europe 1 with AFP 3:44 p.m., September 06, 2022

The twelve members of the Goncourt Academy have selected fifteen titles, some expected such as "La Vie clandestine" by Monica Sabolo or "Le cœur ne céde pas" by Grégoire Bouillier.

But more surprisingly: "Dear asshole" by Virginie Despentes, the biggest success of the literary season, is not on the list.

The Goncourt prize excluded from its first selection the novel by Virginie Despentes, "Dear asshole", the biggest success of the literary season, the jury announced on Tuesday.

The twelve members of the Académie Goncourt have selected fifteen titles, some expected such as "La Vie clandestine" by Monica Sabolo or "Le coeur ne cédez pas" by Grégoire Bouillier.

Other choices are more surprising, such as "Beyrouth-sur-Seine" by Sabyl Ghoussoub, a young Franco-Lebanese author, or "Le Mage du Kremlin" by Giuliano da Empoli, published in April.

Virginie Despentes is the star of this literary season, driven by very favorable reviews, and sales which have reached some 65,000 copies.

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No Grasset title in the selection

Winner of the Renaudot Prize in 2010, for "Baby Apocalypse", she was a Goncourt juror for four years, before resigning in January 2020 to devote herself to writing.

Its publisher, Grasset, places no title in this first selection, while its rival Gallimard has three, and Flammarion and Stock two each.

The Goncourt, the most prestigious of French literary prizes, is to be awarded on November 3.