Prix Goncourt

The Prix Goncourt (, , "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. 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.
History.
Edmond de Goncourt, a successful author, critic, and publisher, bequeathed his estate for the foundation and maintenance of the académie Goncourt. 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. The jury that determines the winner meets at the "Drouant" restaurant in November to make its decision. 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").
The award was initially established to provide talented new authors with a monetary award that would allow them to write a second book. 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."
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.
Controversies.
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.
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. 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.
In 1921, Rene Maran won the Goncourt with "Batouala, veritable roman negre", the first French novel to openly criticize European colonialism in Africa. The novel caused "violent reactions" and was banned in all the French colonies.
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". The voting process became the basis of the 1992 book "Goncourt 32" by Eugène Saccomano.
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". The Académie Goncourt awarded the prize to Ajar without knowing his real identity. 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".
Other awards.
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. 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:
The winners are listed below.
Prix Goncourt de la Biographie.
Goncourt Prize for biography. Awarded in partnership with the city of Nancy.
Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle.
Goncourt Prize for short stories. Begun in 1974 in the form of scholarships. Awarded in partnership with the city of Strasbourg since 2001.
Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman.
Goncourt Prize for debut novel. Awarded in partnership with the municipality of Paris.
Prix Goncourt de la Poésie.
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.
Bourse Goncourt Jeunesse.
Goncrout Prize for children's literature. Awarded in partnership with the municipality of Fontvieille. Discontinued after 2007.
See also.
For a more comprehensive overview a list of literary awards is available.
Notes and references.
Notes
References