More literary awards awarded since the start of the new literary season, it’s the turn of the “Goncourt des Animaux to announce its winner. A week after the Goncourt and Renaudot prizes were announced, another VIP jury gathered, as it has done since 1982: on the second floor of the Drouant restaurant, the emblematic venue in the capital, where each year the Goncourt des Animaux is announced. the prestigious Prix Goncourt. The Prix Littéraire 30 Millions d’Amis has all the attributes of the latter: a jury made up of the crème de la crème of the literary world, a historic venue and a shared salon, named after the prize itself, where discussions take place over lunch to choose the winning author from among eight shortlisted works. The prize is awarded for a novel or essay of literary merit in which the animal is given pride of place, whether or not it is the main character in the work.

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A novel of “high literary quality

It’s 2.20pm when the living room doors finally open. On the table are the leftovers from lunch. The members of the jury – all animal lovers, including the former president of the Académie Goncourt, Didier Decoinacademician Frédéric VitouxPresident of the 30 Millions d’Amis Foundation Reha Hutinnovelists Irène Frain and Didier van Cauwelaert – unite behind the editor Teresa Cremisi for the proclamation of the 2024 winner of the literary prize in the category “novel” category Frédéric Joignot, former journalist with Libération, Actuel and Le Monde and co-founder of the Monde Magazinefor his autobiographical novel Zoography (Éditions Maurice Nadeau).

In category “essay”Françoise Malby-Anthony received the award for her book The wisdom of elephants (Albin Michel). In 1998, together with her late husband, she founded a reserve in South Africa that is home not only to elephants, but also to other emblematic species of the continent, such as giraffes and rhinoceroses. They follow in the footsteps of Cédric Sapin-Defour for his book Its smell after the rain (Stock) and Tom Mustill for his essay How to speak whale (Albin Michel).

The journalist’s novel was elected on the first ballot, by four votes to one in favor of that of Claudie Hunzinger, It’s snowing on the pianist (Grasset). Missing were the voices of Swiss writer Joël Dicker and novelist and philosopher Frédéric Lenoir, who were not present. A regular feature of this “Goncourt des animauxwriter and essayist Michel Houellebecq was also conspicuous by his absence: suspecting that the media had come for him, he preferred to withdraw from the jury. As soon as the winner’s name was announced, faces turned towards the door to welcome the journalist, who had come to receive his prize to applause in a heated room. “We often have a few indulgences for people who love animals, but you’ve raised the bar, your novel is of a very high literary standard.”Teresa Cremisi tells him.

A prize that gives the animal its rightful place

“This is the one we felt was the most complete, the most original, confided the editor. It’s a series of short stories, one after the other, tracing a kind of self-portrait of the author as he recounts his relationships with chickens, dogs and cats. It’s very well written.” At first glance, however, it wasn’t the book that caught the jury’s sharp eye. Its simple, white cover and title didn’t mean much to them. “We were all around First Feathers by Charlie Gilmore (bestseller in England) but you see there are surprises, exposes Reha Hutin. We talk about the books a lot, everyone has read them with passion, that’s how Zoography was finally chosen in the first round.”

For her part, Irène Frain speaks of a book that “.seduced them all”.. “We all had a deep feeling in empathy with him, even if we’re not built the same way through this or that animal. His language is so beautiful, his construction so convincing and his sincerity total that I think many readers will be able to identify.”she enthuses. “It’s true that literary quality was this year’s plus point”.adds Didier van Cauwelaert.

The winner warmly thanked the members of the jury. “This prize gives space back to this kind of writing that deals with the animal question, which has always been present, giving it real importance and I think that’s great.”he enthused. “It’s something that’s evolving in society, and it’s about time, because if you look at the history of literature and the history of animals, it’s a history that goes back centuries, you only have to look at the great mythologies that gave them a real place, like in Egyptian mythology with cats, but also in tales and legends. The presence of animals in literature is truly historical.”

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As for the essay prize awarded to Françoise Malby-Anthony, Didier van Cauwelaert was happy to explain the jury’s choice. “To speak well of animals, you have to speak simply, fairly and deeply. There’s depth of thought, precision on the themes to share with us both attachment and mystery: defending animals also means respecting their mystery, trying to understand them as well as possible and not wanting to boil them down to a knowledge we have of them or a use we make of them.” He was delighted with the choice of a book about elephants, an animal he admires. “The elephant has such a need for understanding, in that sense it’s quite similar to the dog when it chooses humans, but once it’s chosen, that relationship has to go far, it can create – telepathic – exchanges that are incredibly powerful.”he added.

The Fondation 30 Millions d’Amis awarded Frédéric Joignot a check for 3,000 euros and Françoise Malby-Anthony a check for 1,000 euros, to be donated in full to an animal protection association of their choice.