Emmanuel Carrère, 67, emerged victorious in the first round with five votes against two, which went to Laura Vazquez and Kevin Orr, as reported by French media.
The novel ‘Kolkhoze’ is a family saga that tells the story of four generations of one family, that of his mother Hélène Carrère d’Encausse, who had an extraordinary life.
“It might sound somewhat pretentious to say this, but I’m pleased with this book, and that isn’t always the case. I like this book for reasons that are undoubtedly sentimental,” the author told La Nouvelle République in early October.
Hélène Carrère d’Encausse, a historian of Georgian descent and the first woman to hold the position of “permanent secretary” of the French Academy, passed away on August 5, 2023.
In navigating grief, Emmanuel Carrère examines his family history over four generations, from their native Georgia to France, exploring themes such as death, love, and writing, as well as family legacies, memory, and narrative fidelity.
Since his debut in 1983, Emmanuel Carrère has published 17 books, numerous articles as a journalist, and around 20 film scripts, being particularly noted for works like ‘La Moustache’, ‘L’Adversaire’, ‘Un roman russe’, and ‘D’autres vies que la mienne’.
A finalist for this year’s Goncourt Prize, awarded to Laurent Mauvignier for ‘La maison vide’, Emmanuel Carrère previously received the Prix Femina in 1995 for ‘La Classe de Neige’ and the Prix Renaudot in 2011 for ‘Limonov’.
The Médicis Prize for foreign novels was awarded to Nina Allan for ‘Les Bons Voisins’, while Fabrice Gabriel won the essay prize for ‘Au cinéma Central’.
The jury also exceptionally awarded a special prize to Hungarian writer Péter Nádas, for ‘Ce qui luit dans les ténèbres’.
None of the winning books are published in Portugal, though Emmanuel Carrère is published in the country with books like ‘O Adversário’ (Gótica and Tinta-da-China), ‘Limonov’ (Sextante), ‘O Reino’ (Tinta-da-China), and ‘Yoga’ (Quetzal).
Péter Nádas has ‘A Bíblia’ and ‘O Fim de um Romance Familiar’ published in Portugal.
Last year, the Médicis Prize went to Julia Deck for ‘Ann d’Angleterre’, the Médicis Foreign to Eduardo Halfon for ‘Tarentule’, and the Essay to Reiner Stach for ‘Kafka, Les années de jeunesse (volume 3)’.
