The Goncourt Prize is France’s most prestigious literary award for fiction, awarded annually since 1903. If we ask how this prize relates to Estonia and Estonian literary life, it is clear that French literature has had a profound influence on world, European and Estonian writing alike – from the rebellious poetry of François Villon and the carnivalesque works of François Rabelais to the acerbic, socially critical novels of Michel Houellebecq, or the era-sensitive writing of Katrina Kalda, who is also connected to Estonia. It is impossible to think of twentieth-century literature without the contribution of figures such as Marcel Proust or Simone de Beauvoir.
The weight of French literature is clearly reflected in the Goncourt Prize. For example, in 2009 the award was given to Jonathan Littell’s epic and harrowing Second World War novel The Kindly Ones, often described as the War and Peace of the twenty-first century. Incidentally, its Estonian translation by Heli Allik is itself considered one of the most significant literary events of the past decade in Estonia.
It is therefore no surprise that the HeadRead literary festival brings together a group of young French-speaking literature enthusiasts to discuss the nominees for the 2024 Goncourt Prize and to choose their own favourite(s). This year’s discussion is led by artist and translator Annabel Juhkental.