BoussoleThis year’s Prix Goncourt, which most consider to be France’s top literary prize (though any money comes from the boost in book sales and not the prize purse of €10), given to “the best and most imaginative prose work of the year,” was awarded to Mathias Énard for his novel Boussole, Énard’s ninth book (though one news agency reports it as his tenth, so I could be wrong). The book is about an Austrian musicologist on his sickbed where he thinks back on his travels to the East.

The other three finalists for the prize were: Titus n’aimait pas Bérénice by Nathalie Azoulai, Les Prépondérants by Hédi Kaddour, and Ce pays qui te ressemble by Tobie Nathan.

Two of Énard’s books — Zone and Street of Thieves — are available in English in translations from Charlotte Mandell, from Open Letter Books in the U.S. and from Fitzcarraldo Editions in the U.K. If there are others I’m not yet aware of, please let me know in the comments. Surely (hopefully?) Boussole will be coming to us sooner than later.


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