the jury of The Goncourt awarded the prize Wednesday at the restaurant Drouant, Nicolas Mathieu, for his second novel, Their children after them (ed Actes Sud). The author was in competition for the prestigious literary prize with David Diop for soul Brother (ed Threshold), Paul Greveillac for Master and slave (ed Gallimard) and Thomas B. Reverdy for The Winter of our discontent (ed Flammarion). He won by six votes against four for Greveillac in the fourth round of voting.
» READ ALSO – Nicolas Mathieu, the prix Goncourt In 2018: «This is a novel of France» device
The absence of Philip Lance and his book Flap (ed Gallimard) in the final selection has been noticed. The Goncourt would he have had to top the journalist, a survivor of the attack of Charlie Hebdo? Question raised by Jean-Christophe Buisson ( Le Figaro Magazine ) and Gregory Leménager ( Obs ) in this new Clash Culture .
«This is not Lance, who has missed the Goncourt, the Goncourt, who missed Lance»
Gregory Leménager has no doubt: «The Goncourt would have had to reward Flap of Philippe Lançon». «This is a book outside the norm. (…) It tells the story of this attack from the inside. It offers a contrast absolutely amazing on this event. It tells the story of his reconstruction, the countless operations, develops there. This is really a great book.» The reporter from Obs regret that the Goncourt has chosen not to select Flap on the grounds that it would not be a novel. «Last year, they have rewarded Eric Vuillard for a book in which there was not an ounce of fiction. This is precisely what was its value. Why there would be two weights two measures from one year to the other,» he says.
«READ ALSO’ – Philippe Lançon, prix Femina 2018 for The Flap: «We don’t need heroes»
For Jean-Christophe Buisson, the reason for this dislike is elsewhere. «As for many years, it is the Femina, which gives its price before the Goncourt. Since the beginning, we’re not going to lie, everyone knew that they were going to give it to Philippe Lançon, » he says. This is the reason why the jury of the Goncourt was not accepted in its selection. The book of Nicolas Mathieu is an excellent novel which deserves the Goncourt.»
«Philippe Lançon had already sold more than 100,000 copies of his book, it will sell around 300,000 more. The prices are also made to boost the sales», he adds. The survivor of the attack on Charlie Hebdo is in fact the winner of the prix Femina 2018 and the special prize of the Renaudot. Gregory Leménager not démord yet not: «This is not Lance, who has missed the Goncourt, the Goncourt, who missed Lance.»