Who will succeed Brigitte Giraud, winner of the 2022 Goncourt Prize? Like every year, the jurors of the prestigious literary prize met at the Drouant restaurant, under the chairmanship of Didier Decoin, to draw up their first list. They retained not fifteen novels, but sixteen, contrary to what had been announced.
This is not the only surprise of this selection. Of the sixteen novels, five are published by Gallimard and two are from the Madrigall group (P.O.L. and Minuit). This gives the publishing house a very good chance of winning the prize, which was won by Hervé Le Tellier, in 2020. Three small publishing houses (Le Nouvel Attila, L’Observatoire and L’Iconoclaste) against the behemoths.
Similarly, this list stands out for its absences. Sorj Chalandon, top sellers, Laurent Binet, Serge Joncour, Agnès Desarthe and Maria Pourchet did not catch the attention of the members of the jury. Finally, note that three first novels appear in this first list: Cécile Desprairies, Mokhtar Amoudi and Neige Sinno.
The second will be announced on October 3. The next, that of the four finalists, will be unveiled on October 25 in Krakow where the academicians will go to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first of the Goncourt Choices, that of Poland. The awarding of the Goncourt 2023 prize will take place at Drouant on November 7.
The full list:
Mokhtar AMOUDI, Ideal conditions, Gallimard
Jean-Baptiste ANDREA, Watch over her, The Iconoclast
Dominique BARBÉRIS, A way of loving, Gallimard
Vincent DELECROIX, Shipwreck, Gallimard
Cécile DESPRAIRIES, The propagandist, Seuil
Émilie FRÈCHE, The lovers of Lutetia, Albin Michel
Dorothée JANIN, The revolt of the lost girls, Stock
Gaspard KŒNIG, Humus, The Observatory
Kevin LAMBERT, May our joy remain, The New Attila
Akira MIZUBAYASHI, Unforgettable Suite, Gallimard
Laure MURAT, Proust, family novel, Robert Laffont
Léonor de RÉCONDO, The Great Fire, Grasset
Éric REINHARDT, Sarah, Susanne and the writer, Gallimard
Antoine SÉNANQUE, Ash Cross, Grasset
Neige SINNO, Sad tiger, P.O.L
Jean-Philippe TOUSSAINT, The Chessboard, Éditions de Minuit