Philippe Jaenada’s L’Inconnue du quai de Javel has won the Goncourt after the jury met in Paris. Published by Flammarion, the investigative novel concerns a young woman found dead beside the Seine. The final shortlist consisted entirely of books from Madrigall publishing houses, and a bookseller criticised the concentration of the prize field. The prize carries a symbolic payment of 10 euros.
Philippe Jaenada won the Goncourt, the French literary prize, for L’Inconnue du quai de Javel following the jury’s 3 November meeting at the Drouant restaurant in Paris.[1], [2]
Flammarion publishes the 528-page investigative novel about a young woman found dead beside the Seine. Jaenada, 62, expressed disbelief and joy on social media and thanked the jury after the announcement.[1]
The four-book shortlist was announced on 27 October. Jaenada’s competitors were Yannick Haenel’s La Solitude des professeurs est infinie, Clémentine Mélois’s Choses que je croyais perdues and Sylvain Prudhomme’s De l’autre côté du lac. All four finalists appeared through publishing houses within Madrigall, including Gallimard, Flammarion and Éditions de Minuit. Lyon bookseller Gwilherm Perthuis criticised that concentration, saying he would prefer more room for new voices and projects that change reading habits.[1]
Jaenada previously explored criminal cases in Sulak, La Petite Femelle and La Serpe, published in 2013, 2015 and 2017 respectively. The Goncourt carries a symbolic payment of 10 euros. First awarded in 1903, it normally recognises an author only once in a lifetime. Romain Gary is its historical exception: he received the award a second time under the name Émile Ajar.[1]
