Overview
- Jury president Philippe Claudel announced the result on the steps of Paris’s restaurant Drouant just before 1 p.m. Tuesday.
- Mauvignier prevailed in the first round by six votes to four over Caroline Lamarche for "Le Bel Obscur."
- Other finalists included Nathacha Appanah, who won the Prix Femina for "La Nuit au cœur" the day before, and Emmanuel Carrère for "Kolkhoze."
- "La Maison vide," published by Éditions de Minuit and already winner of Le Monde’s literary prize, extends the author’s autobiographically inflected family narrative.
- The book had sold roughly 50,000 copies ahead of the award, and the Goncourt traditionally drives a substantial boost in sales and visibility.