PARIS — French-Mauritian author Nathacha Appanah has secured the Goncourt des Lycéens, just weeks after winning the Prix Femina, marking a rare and prestigious double for her novel La Nuit au cœur (Gallimard). The book, already widely discussed for its unflinching portrayal of gender-based violence, retraces the intertwined destinies of three women whose lives were shattered by the brutality of men.
The story evokes the murder of Chahinez Daoud, killed by her husband in Mérignac in 2021; that of Emma, the author’s cousin, murdered by her spouse in Mauritius in 2000; and Appanah’s own experience of living under the control of an abusive partner thirty years her senior.
A Ceremony Marked by Emotion at the Élysée
French President Emmanuel Macron awarded Appanah the prize Thursday evening at the Élysée Palace, praising a novel he described as “magnificent and moving.” He emphasized that the book would significantly contribute to the national debate on violence against women, a topic that continues to grip France.
Speaking before nearly 200 high school students from across the country, Macron urged them to “read,” calling reading “an act of resistance” in a world dominated by passive scrolling. He lamented that “attention spans are shrinking,” noting that the habit of reading is declining in parallel.
Elsa Lelaumier, spokesperson for the student jury and a senior from Vence, said the jurors were “deeply moved by the stories of these three women” and by Appanah’s writing, which she described as a mix of complexity, precision, and poetry. Accepting the award, the author thanked the young readers for “the tremendous gift you’ve given me, Chahinez, Emma, and literature.”
A Novel Rooted in Real Tragedy
Appanah has been outspoken about the origins of La Nuit au cœur, explaining to AFP that she began the book the day after Chahinez Daoud’s killing. The murder, which sparked national outrage, reignited questions about police and judicial failures in protecting women under threat.
The author recounts three threads:
• Chahinez Daoud’s murder in France
• Emma, her cousin, a mother of three killed by her husband in Mauritius
• Appanah herself, who fled barefoot from a violent and paranoid partner at age 25
The novel dismantles the mechanics of emotional control, jealousy, and manipulation. In France, statistics show that a woman is killed every three days by a partner or ex-partner — a grim backdrop to the book’s publication.
A Competitive Literary Lineup
This year’s Goncourt des Lycéens pitted Appanah against prominent contemporary authors, including Laurent Mauvignier — freshly crowned with the Prix Goncourt for La Maison vide — David Deneufgermain, David Thomas, and Paul Gasnier.
Nearly 2,000 students across 57 schools in France and abroad participated in the selection process, reading and debating the finalists throughout the fall. Their engagement with the texts has helped turn the prize into one of France’s most influential literary awards, known for driving major sales.
“The Most Beautiful Prize of All”
For Appanah, the Goncourt des Lycéens holds a special value. “It is a reader’s prize, a youth prize — for me, the most beautiful prize,” she said.
Created in Rennes in 1988 and organized by the Fnac and France’s Ministry of Education, the prize signals strong commercial momentum: some winning titles have reached hundreds of thousands of sales. Appanah now joins a distinguished list of laureates including Neige Sinno, Alice Zeniter, Gaël Faye, and Joël Dicker. Last year, the award went to Sandrine Collette for Madelaine avant l’aube.
FAQs
1. What is the Goncourt des Lycéens?
It is a major French literary award chosen by high school students. Despite its youth-oriented jury, it has become one of the country’s most influential prizes in terms of book sales.
2. What is La Nuit au cœur about?
The novel explores the intertwined stories of three women — two murder victims and the author herself — to examine patterns of domestic violence, control, and trauma.
3. Why is Appanah’s double win significant?
Winning both the Prix Femina and the Goncourt des Lycéens in the same year is rare and underscores the literary and cultural impact of her work.
4. How do the students choose the winner?
Nearly 2,000 students read the finalists over several months, debate them, and vote for the book they feel deserves the prize.
5. Why did Emmanuel Macron comment on reading?
During the ceremony, the president highlighted the importance of reading in an era dominated by digital distraction, calling it a “resistance” against passive consumption.
