The prix Contrepoint is a French

literary award A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award ceremony. Ma ...

established in 1971 by a group of young French novelists and journalists. Each year a French-speaking novelist is selected. According to Bertrand Labes,. this prize was characterized at its creation as the "

Goncourt The Goncourt brothers (, , ) were Edmond de Goncourt (1822–1896) and Jules de Goncourt (1830–1870), both French naturalism writers who, as collaborative sibling authors, were inseparable in life. Background Edmond and Jules were born to m ...

of young writers" as its recipients often confirmed their talent later on. The jury included

Christian Giudicelli Christian Giudicelli (27 June 1942 – 14 May 2022) was a French novelist and literary critic. His seventh novel, ''Station balnéaire'', was awarded the 1986 Prix Renaudot. Guidicelli was one of the eight jury members of the French literary aw ...

, Dominique-Pierre Larger,

Patrick Modiano Jean Patrick Modiano (; born 30 July 1945), generally known as Patrick Modiano, is a French novelist and recipient of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is a noted writer of autofiction, the blend of autobiography and historical fiction. I ...

, Claude Montcalm,

Louis-Antoine Prat Louis-Antoine Prat (born 24 December 1944 in Nice) is a French art historian and art collector, specialized in drawings. Early life and education Louis-Antoine Prat is the son of Georges Prat, a wealthy French businessman. Georges was an art ...

, Gonzague Saint Bris, Jean-Clément Texier, and Denys Viat. This award is distinguished by the fact that, according to its rules, the winner must pay a one Franc check to each of the eight members of the jury, "for the pains taken to read his work."

List of laureates

* 1972:

Elvire de Brissac Elvire de Brissac (born 19 January 1939) is a French novelist and biographer. Her awards include the Prix des Deux Magots, Grand prix des lectrices de Elle, Prix Contrepoint, Prix Goncourt, and the Prix Femina, Prix Femina Essai. Biography Elvir ...

for ''Un long mois de septembre'' ( Grasset) * 1973: Bernard Matignon for ''Les Soldats de bois'' (

Fayard Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre. In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayard ...

) * 1974:

Raphaële Billetdoux Raphaële Billetdoux (born 28 February 1951 in Paris) is a French novelist. Biography She is the daughter of François Billetdoux, and was a companion of the political journalist Paul Guilbert (died July 2002). She was assistant editor on featur ...

for ''L'Ouverture des bras de l'homme'' (

Seuil Seuil () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardennes department The following is a list of the 449 communes of the Ardennes department of France. The communes cooperate ...

) * 1975:

Michel Alvès Michel Alvès (14 September 1940, Nice) is a French writer. He is the author of four novels: *1962: ''Le Pêcheur'', Éditions Grasset *1962: ''Entre les barricades'', Grasset *1972: ''Le Territoire'', Jean-Jacques Pauvert, Prix Contrepoint in 1 ...

for ''Le Territoire'' (

Jean-Jacques Pauvert Jean-Jacques Pauvert (8 April 1926 – 27 September 2014) was a French publisher, notable for publishing the work of the Marquis de Sade in the early 1950s and as the first publisher of the '' Story of O'' (1954) and the first edition of Kenneth A ...

) * 1976: Jack-Alain Léger for ''Un ciel si fragile'' * 1977:

for ''Les Insulaires'' (Seuil) * 1978: Catherine Rihoit for ''Portrait de Gabriel'' ( Gallimard) * 1979: Olivier Beer for ''Le Chant des enfants morts'' (

Albin Michel Albin may refer to: Places * Albin, Wyoming, US * Albin Township, Brown County, Minnesota, US * Albin, Virginia, US People * Albin (given name), origin of the name and people with the first name "Albin" * Albin (surname) ;Mononyms * Albin of ...

) * 1980: Jérôme Hesse for ''Surprenante Histoire d'un jeune homme de bonne famille'' (Grasset) * 1981: Jean-François Ferrané for ''Le Miroir de pierre'' (

Flammarion Flammarion may refer to: * Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), French astronomer and author * Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer, wife of Camille Flammarion * Flammarion engraving by unknown artist; appeared in a book by C ...

) * 1982:

Nancy Huston Nancy Louise Huston, OC (born September 16, 1953) is a Canadian-born novelist and essayist who writes primarily in French and translates her own works into English. Biography Huston was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the city in which she l ...

for ' (Seuil) * 1983:

Gérard Pussey Gérard Pussey (born 20 June 1947) is a French writer and novelist. Born in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. A journalist and literary critic, Pussey is first of all a novelist. Initiated to literature by his uncle, the writer and screenwriter René Fal ...

for ''L'Amour tombé du lit'' ( Denoël) * 1984:

Catherine David Catherine David (born 1954) is a French art historian, curator and museum director. David was the first woman and the first non-German speaker to curate documenta X in Kassel, Germany (21 June – 28 September 1997). David is currently depu ...

for ''L'Océan miniature'' (Seuil) * 1985: Thierry de Beaucé for ''La Chute de Tanger'' (Gallimard) * 1986: Marie Nimier for ''Sirène'' (Gallimard) * 1987: Élisabeth Barillé for ''Corps de jeune fille'' (Gallimard) * 1988: Lydie Locatelli for ''Cent mètres d'amour avec haies et obstacles'' (Albin Michel) * 1989: Gonzague Saint Bris for ''La Fayette, la Stature de la Liberté'' () * 1990: Régine Michel for ''Les Petits Mensonges'' () * 1991: Ya Ding for ''Le Jeu de l'eau et du feu'' (Flammarion) * 1992: Nino Ricci for ''Les Yeux bleus et le Serpent'' (Denoël) * 1993: Jean-Olivier Tedesco for ''Le Diable et le Condottiere'' (Grasset) * 1994: Louise Anne Bouchard for ''La Fureur'' () * 1996:

Justine Lévy Justine-Juliette Lévy (born 27 September 1974) is a French book editor and author. Life and career Lévy is the eldest daughter of Isabelle Doutreluigne and French philosopher, writer, and media personality, Bernard-Henri Lévy. Her 1995 debu ...

for ''Le Rendez-vous'' ( Plon) * 1997: Robert de Goulaine for ''Du côté de Zanzibar'' () * 1998:

Jacques-Pierre Amette Jacques-Pierre Amette (born 1943 in Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives, Calvados, German-occupied France) is a French writer. In 2003 his novel '' Brecht's Mistress'' (French: ''La Maîtresse de Brecht'') won the Prix Goncourt. He has been a correspondent ...

for ''Les Deux Léopards'' (Seuil) * 1999: Sylvie Derveloy for ''Un cœur à l'envers'' () * 2000: Claire Castillon for ''Le Grenier'' () * 2001:

Anna Gavalda Anna Gavalda (born 23 May 1970 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine) is a French teacher and award-winning novelist. Referred to by ''Voici'' magazine as "a distant descendant of Dorothy Parker", Anna Gavalda was born in an upper-class suburb ...

for ''

Je voudrais que quelqu'un m'attende quelque part ''I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere'' (French: ''Je voudrais que quelqu'un m'attende quelque part'') is a collection of twelve short stories written by Anna Gavalda. It was written in French and published in 1999. It is the first bo ...

'' () * 2002:

Anne-Sophie Brasme Anne-Sophie Brasme (born 1984 in Metz) is a French writer who lives in Metz. She is a qualified teacher of Modern Literature, having studied at the University of Paris (post-1970), Sorbonne in Paris. Novels Brasme wrote her first novel, ''Breathe ...

for ''Respire'' (Fayard) * 2003:

Émilie Frèche Émilie () is a French female given name. It is the feminine form of the male name Émile. Spelled Emilie, it is used internationally. People named Émilie *Émilie Bigottini (1784–1858), French dancer of Italian ancestry * Émilie Bonnivard ...

for ''Une femme normale'' () * 2004: Bénédicte Martin for ''Warm up'' (Flammarion) * 2005: Constance Debré for ''Un peu là beaucoup ailleurs'' ( éditions du Rocher) * 2006: Emmanuelle Heidsieck for ''Notre aimable clientèle'' (Denoël) * 2007: Géraldine Maillet for ''Presque top model'' (Flammarion) * 2008: Alessandra Fra for ''Un suicide'' (

L'Harmattan Éditions L'Harmattan, usually known simply as L'Harmattan (), is one of the largest French book publishers. It specialises in non-fiction books with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named after the Harmattan, a trade wind in W ...

) * 2009:

Diane de Margerie Diane Jacquin de Margerie (born 24 December 1927) is a French woman of letters and translator from English. Biography Diane de Margerie is the daughter of Jenny Fabre-Luce (1896–1991) and Roland de Margerie (1899–1990). Her father was the n ...

for ''La passion Brando'' (Albin Michel) * 2010: Valérie de Changy for ''Fils de Rabelais'' () * 2011: Capucine Motte for ''La vraie vie des jolies filles'' (

JC Lattès JC Lattès is a French publishing house. A division of Hachette Livre since 1981, JC Lattès' catalogue includes the works of Dan Brown, as well as ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' by E. L. James. Founder Jean-Claude Lattès died on 17 January 2018. ...

) * 2012: Anne Plantagenet for ''Nation Pigalle'' (

Éditions Stock Stock is a French publisher, a subsidiary of Hachette Livre, which itself is part of the Lagardère Group. It was founded in the 18th century by André Cailleau, who was succeeded in 1753 by Nicolas-Bonaventure Duchesne, who published Voltaire and ...

) * 2013: Nathalie Rheims for ''Laisser les cendres s'envoler'' () * 2014: Mathilde Janin for ''Riviera'' (

Actes Sud Actes Sud is a French publishing house based in Arles. It was founded in 1978 by author Hubert Nyssen. By 2013, the company, then headed by Nyssen's daughter, Françoise Nyssen, had an annual turnover of 60 million euros and 60 staff members. ...

) * 2015: As a tribute to and respect for the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded to one of its founding members,

, the jury decided not to award the Prix Contrepoint 2015. * 2016: Alessia Valli for ''La Nostalgie du Crépuscule'' () * 2017:

Isabelle Spaak Isabelle Spaak (born 5 October 1960) is a Belgian writer living in Paris. The daughter of Fernand Spaak and Anna-Maria Farina, she was born in Brussels and grew up there. In July 1981, her mother killed her father and then committed suicide. Spaak ...

for '' Ça ne se fait pas'' and ''Une allure folle'' ( Éditions des Équateurs) * 2018: No award in memory of juror Gonzague Saint Bris, who died in 2017. * 2019:

Marion Ruggieri Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" * Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mar ...

for ''Donne-moi la main pour traverser'' (

Éditions Grasset The Grasset Editions () is a French publishing house founded in 1907 by (1881–1955). History Founder In 1913, Bernard Grasset publishes the first volume of ''À la recherche du temps perdu'', by Marcel Proust, '' Du côté de chez Swann'', ...

) and Clarisse Gorokhoff for ''Casse-Gueule'' ( Gallimard) * 2020: Laure Pfeffer for ''Si peu la fin du monde'' ( Buchet-Chastel) and

Marie-Hélène Lafon Marie-Hélène Lafon (born 1962) is a French educator and award-winning writer. She was born in Aurillac in the Cantal department and grew up on the family farm there. She was educated at a religious boarding school in Saint-Flour and, after m ...

for ''Le pays d'en haut'' (Arthaud)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Prix Contrepoint de littérature 2016
on Livres Hebdo
Mathilde Janin reçoit le Prix Contrepoint de littérature française 2014
on Actes Sud

on Prix Littéraires.net French literary awards Awards established in 1971 1971 establishments in France