The Goncourt prize retained Tuesday in its first selection the novel “His favorite” by Valaisanne Sarah Jollien-Fardel. On the other hand, he dismissed Virginie Despentes’ novel, “Dear asshole”, the biggest success of the literary season.
Sarah Jollien-Fardel’s first novel has already been noticed by several French newspapers and media such as Le Monde, Liberation and Médiapart. “Her favorite” tells the story of a narrator confronted with the brutality and mistreatment of her father against the backdrop of the mountains in Valais. She leaves her village, takes refuge in Lausanne and rebuilds herself.
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The twelve members of the Académie Goncourt have retained a total of fifteen titles. Some were expected like “The heart does not yield” by Grégoire Bouillier or “The clandestine life” by Monica Sabolo, where the author returns to the secrets of her childhood spent between Milan and Geneva. At the same time, she goes in search of former members of the far-left terrorist group Direct Action.
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 dismissed
Star of this literary season, Virginie Despentes saw her novel “Dear connard” carried by very favorable reviews and sales which have already reached some 65,000 copies. According to those who loved this novel on addiction and the #Metoo movement, the French author had to be on the Goncourt 2022 list. Winner of the Renaudot Prize in 2010 for “Baby Apocalypse”, Virginie Despentes was a Goncourt juror for four years, before resigning in January 2020 to devote herself to writing.
“It was not mentioned because, for us, it is obvious: Virginie Despentes cannot compete”, explained Didier Decoin, president of the Goncourt academy since January 2020. “Ethically, it was inadmissible. And that doesn’t mean at all that we didn’t like Virginie’s book, on the contrary…”.
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The “Dear Asshole” by Virginie Despentes. [RTS]
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.
The prestigious autumn literary prizes are kicking off their 2022 edition this week, with few chosen and many disappointed in this ruthless battle between novelists that is the return to school in September.
For the authors who place their book there, among a few hundred competitors, it is a signal that they count and are in the race. Or, when they have very little chance of winning, they know that their book has aroused sympathy.
Draw attention
According to the booksellers, being placed in the first selection of Goncourt does not guarantee to accelerate its sales in the days which follow. But this draws the attention of critics and the press to titles that have sometimes remained discreet. The last two winners of the Goncourt can testify to this.
Hervé Le Tellier, in 2020, was seen in August as a second knife, with “The anomaly” (12,500 copies for the first printing). But in September, appearing among many lists (Goncourt, Renaudot, Medici, December prizes), he had intrigued all the literary journalists.
As for Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, in 2021, by publishing a demanding novel at the age of 31 (“The most secret memory of men”), he had attracted the attention of an impressive number of juries: Goncourt, Renaudot, Femina, Medici and French Academy.
World Prize
It is Wednesday that Renaudot will publish its first selection, a prize that Virginie Despentes has already won in 2010.
On the same day, Le Monde will present its literary prize for the tenth time. Ten titles were selected by the editorial staff of the daily. The first novels that made people talk about them, such as “En salle” by Claire Baglin or “They are going to kill your sons” by Guillaume Perilhou, rub shoulders with the headliners of this season, such as “La vie clandestine” by Monica Sabolo or “When you listen to this song” by Lola Lafon.
Thursday, the day of the first Femina selection, Fnac will also award its literary prize. It is all the more coveted as this brand, one of the biggest sellers of books in France, promotes the award-winning title in its stores, which can be French or foreign.
Five are finalists, including the American of Finnish origin Karl Marlantes for “Soon to burst the earth”, and a revelation of this return to school 2022, Maria Larrea with “The people of Bilbao are born where they want”.
ats/mh