It feels like the end of… the year, which means the die is cast. We roughly know the big winners of the last quarter of 2023, i.e. a lot of comics, a pinch of literary prizes, a few (very few) essays and as many foreign novels.
Thus, in the week alone from December 18 to 24, and this in the bookstore circuit (according to Edistat figures, excluding food supermarkets and specialized supermarkets), the 40th adventure of Asterix (The white Iris) has sold more than 40,000 copies. Come next Watch over her by Jean-Baptiste Andrea, the Goncourt 2023 (38,000 copies) and the 22nd volume of the misadventures of Gaston Lagaffe (33,000 copies). Far behind, arise History of Jerusalema comic strip by Vincent Lemire and Christophe Gaultier (17,000), the Femina Prize by Neige Sinno (Sad Tiger16,000), the canine testimony of Cédric Sapin-Defour (Its smell after the rain, 14,500), the pocket 13 at the table! (12,500) or The Secret Life of Trees in comics by Peter Wolleheben, with Fred Bernard and Benjamin Flao (11,500).
We will again cite The Enraged by Sorj Chalandon (9,500 copies), then two documents (phew!), namely My life without gravity by Thomas Pesquet (7,500), volume III of the Intimate history of the Fifth Republic, by Franz-Olivier Giesbert (6,500). Also note the discreet but very real successes of Eric Chacour’s first novel, What I know about you (Prime Plume prize, 6,500) and that of David Grann (The Wager Shipwrecks6,000), one of the rare foreigners after Ken Follett, to stand out in this bestseller list.
© / The Express
Overall, for the moment, we can estimate that some of the winners of the major literary prizes have distinguished themselves rather well. Starting with Goncourt, the big winner in this shallot race, with, as of December 24, all points of sale combined, nearly 400,000 copies, Femina (and Goncourt for high school students) with some 175,000 copies. Next, less flamboyant, are the Interallié (67,000 copies) and the Renaudot (42,000 copies). As for the Medici, Kevin Lambert (May our joy remain), barely reaching 20,000 copies, it was happily dethroned by another Quebecer, Eric Chacour, who was close to the 50,000 mark, and by a doctor, Baptiste Beaulieu, who exceeded 75,000 copies with Where do the tears go when they dry !
All that remains is to wait for the 2024 arrivals (482 French and foreign novels, according to Livres Hebdo, between January and February) to see which will be the first to infiltrate the top 20.
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