The Prix Goncourt, France’s most prestigious literary prize, was awarded to Laurent Mauvignier for his family chronicle “The Empty House” (La Maison vide). Last year, the prize went to Kamel Daoud for his novel “Khuris.”
Mauvignier’s novel received six votes from the jury, beating out other contenders for the coveted award, including the deeply moving “Night in the Heart” (La Nuit au cœur) by Natasha Appanach, which was a finalist and yesterday won the Femina Prize for its novel about victims of male violence.
Mauvignier’s other competitor was Belgian writer Caroline Lamarche, who received four votes from the jury for her novel “Beautiful Darkness” (Le Bel Obscur).
Mauvignier, 58, rose to fame with his first novel, Far From Them (Loin d’eux), published in 1999, and his fifth, In the Crowd (Dans la foule), published in 2006. The latter won the Fnac Prize and is considered one of his most popular works, along with Men (Des hommes) (2009), which depicts the atrocities of the Algerian War. In 2020, the book was adapted for the big screen by director Lucas Belvaux.
The Empty House is Mauvignier’s tenth novel. Over 750 pages, he recounts the fictional saga of his ancestors from the late 19th century to the postwar period, as seen through the eyes of the women of his family. The book has already won the Le Monde literary prize, the Landerneau readers’ prize, and the Nancy booksellers’ prize.
The editor’s note (Editions de Minuit) states:
“In the empty house, all that remains are a piano, a chest of drawers, a Legion of Honor medal, a lock of hair, and a photograph of a face patiently cut out with scissors. To understand what happened there, the narrator travels back in time, discovering the history and shattered destinies of Marie-Ernestine and Marguerite, who faced male cruelty and two world wars.”
The Académie Goncourt awards the Prix Goncourt to the author of “the best and most imaginative prose work of the year.” The symbolic prize is only 10 euros, but it brings significant recognition and book sales to the winning author.
