From Goncourt to the price of page 111… Are there too many literary awards? – The Express

A late afternoon in April, at the Hôtel du Nord, on the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris. Sorj Chalandon receives the Eugène-Dabit populist novel prize for The Enraged (Grasset). Nothing ostentatious, around twenty people, a brief thank-you speech composed of extracts from works by previous winners, a few bottles and, as a reward, an original drawing by Boucq and 3,000 euros. A few hours later, a little further east, another jury distinguished And, bloom again (Philippe Rey) by Kiyémis for the Régine-Deforges prize for the first novel. Same evening, yet another atmosphere, much more German-friendly: in the Montparnasse district, the Closerie des Lilas prize is awarded to Arièle Butaux for The Crater (Sabine Wespieser). There, no check, but a gain in kind: for a year, the winner will be able to eat in the famous brasserie. Exceptional, this Parisian evening where the most diligent run from one ceremony to another, from calm aperitifs to drunken parties? Not really.

France loves literary prizes. And not just the “greats” of autumn, Goncourt, Femina, Renaudot. Difficult to give a number. At least 1,000, say the most cautious. Up to 2,000, dare the most playful. Some were created by academies or the media, others by groups of friends or generous patrons, in the name of the living or the already dead. Price of page 111, price Sent by Post, price of the manuscript refused, the titles are sometimes baroque, but the vitality is very real. “For two or three years, the luxury industry has also created its prizes, with celebrity juries. Literature is becoming a popular product to promote a watch, a hotel… In the region, we are also seeing the creation of literary prizes local, at the initiative of cities which need events to attract”, says Arnaud Viviant, author of Station Goncourt, 120 years of literary prizes (The fabric).

But what are all these rewards for? Apart from the Goncourt, sold on average at 300,000 copies, which makes the presidency to which Philippe Claudel has just accessed very strategic, his vote counting double, few guarantee a jump in sales after obtaining them. The Inter Book price, unveiled on June 3, is one of the exceptions, particularly in the network of independent bookstores. “As soon as it is announced, we must have it, customers ask for it. But I may have it through my local bookstore in Croix-Rousse in Lyon, where people listen to this radio a lot,” notes Maya Flandin, manager of the Vivement Dimanche brand. Magazine prices She, awarded just before summer, are also very influential. “This prize propelled me, it made the book known, with an effect on sales,” recalls Evelyne Bloch-Dano, winner in 1998 for Madame Zola (Grasset) and author of a recent novel, Violet and Stella (Stock).

For others, the commercial effect is more difficult to measure. But in a world where competition is fierce among the dozens of novels published each month, the reward may be the detail that catches the eye. In mid-April, at the opening of the Saint-Louis Book Forum in Alsace, Camille de Peretti received the Novelists prize for The Unknown Portrait (Calmann-Lévy). The next day, in a few hours, she signed around sixty books, a first for her: “People told me: I saw you in the newspaper or in the program, the headband also caught the eye.” Since the publication of The Juror (HarperCollins) in April 2023, first-time novelist Claire Jéhanno is having a similar experience. His multiple nominations, notably for the Maison de la Presse prize, have aroused interest in his work, even before its release in bookstores. “It was a very encouraging signal, especially in the period of uncertainty preceding publication,” she recalls. Subsequently, on the occasion of prizes awarded by media libraries or clubs such as Zonta or the Inner Wheel, she meets booksellers, readers, personalities who become ambassadors of the book and prolong its life.

Much more than an immediate catalyst for sales, the prizes – or sometimes, the simple appearance on the list of finalists – have a medium or long term effect. Because booksellers look at the selections that are important to them and sometimes “catch up” on a book that they had not noticed. Because, during meetings in bookstores, mention is made of these rewards, which can convince a hesitant buyer. Because the local and/or national press will report them, because on the cover of the following book, the publisher will not hesitate to indicate them, because when selling rights abroad or for audiovisual adaptations, the mention can make the difference. Even if it means remaining vague, with formulas like “finalist of several awards” without further precision when we consider their notoriety insufficient.

Incidentally, the prize can be endowed with a sum of varying importance which enhances the daily lives of writers who struggle to make a living from their works. “They can become a method of financing authors, the French Academy issues 40 each year, including the Paul-Morand endowed with 45,000 euros,” continues Arnaud Viviant. Also known for their generosity, the December prize, long accompanied by 30,000 euros, reduced to 15,000 since the death of Pierre Bergé, or the Pierre-de-Monaco prize and its 15,000 euros for the consecration prize. Others, less well known, should not be overlooked: 8,000 euros for the François-Mauriac prize of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, 3,000 euros for the Romancières prize.

As much as the amounts paid, the distinctions have the virtue of reinforcing the authors in their work and placing them in a line of prestigious predecessors. Camille de Peretti, recent winner of the Maison de la Presse prize, remembers the excitement she felt when she learned that The Unknown Portrait was also part of the Inter Book selection: “I said to myself ‘but, no!’ I’ve been brushing my teeth listening to France Inter for twenty years. But for me, it was as unattainable as, for an actress , to have the Caesar.” Beyond personal satisfaction, she also appreciated her meeting with the readers’ club of the Prix des Romancières and liked the idea that the Marie-Claire prize was awarded to her by booksellers on the basis of a note, without consultation. , nor cheating.

Everyone, booksellers, publishers, authors, say it: the abundance of prices is a way to keep reading alive everywhere. It is for this reason that Evelyne Boch-Dano, member of Femina, is involved in the Femina of high school students, born in 2015 in two establishments and now present in 20 classes, each meeting at least two authors of the selection: ” I taught high school for thirty years and I know what a positive stimulation it is, whatever the level and social origin, to read living, contemporary authors. Sometimes it’s the first time. the students have what they call a “real” book in their hands.” “Indeed, there are a number of prizes which seem improbable, we can estimate that some are of no use, but they demonstrate a desire to discuss, to come together, to make selections, to struggle around literature. It’s quite joyful,” adds bookseller Maya Flandin. There remains a question that no one dares to ask: by dint of multiplying, do the red banners in bookstores not risk cannibalizing each other? Don’t too many prices kill prices?