The grand prix de la Critique littéraire was created in 1948 by Robert André. It is awarded each year by the French PEN club to a literary essay. Chaired by , its jury is now made up of Jean Blot, Jean-Luc Despax, Jean-Claude Lamy, Daniel Leuwers, , Laurence Paton (general secretary), and {{ill, Patrick Tudoret, fr. Since its creation, it has rewarded many leading authors and intends to promote a literary criticism of quality and, quite simply, literature.

List of laureates

* 2019: Judith Lyon-Caen, for ''La griffe du temps'' ( Gallimard) * 2018: Patrick Mimouni, for ''Les mémoires maudites : Juifs et homosexuels dans l’œuvre et la vie de Marcel Proust'' ( Grasset) * 2017: Lakis Proguidis, for ''Rabelais, que le roman commence'' (Editions Pierre-Guillaume de Roux) * 2016: Béatrice Commengé, for ''Une vie de paysages'' (Editions Verdier) * 2015: Pierre Boncenne, for ''Le Parapluie de Simon Ley'', Philippe Rey * 2014: Paul Audi, for ''Qui témoignera pour nous ? Albert Camus, face à lui-même'', Verdier * 2013: Violaine Gelly and Paul Gradvohl, for ''Charlotte Delbo'',

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 ...

* 2012: Jean-Christian Petitfils for ''Le Frémissement de la grâce, Le roman du Grand Meaulnes'', Fayard * 2011: Nicolas Grimaldi for ''Les Métamorphoses de l'Amour'',

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'', ...

* 2010: Claire Blandin for ''Le Figaro littéraire, Vie d'un hebdomadaire politique et culturel : 1946–1971'' (Nouveau Monde Éditions) * 2009: Patrick Tudoret for ''L'Écrivain sacrifié, vie et mort de l’émission littéraire'' (INA/Le Bord-de-l'Eau) * 2008: Lionel Ray for ''Le Procès de la vieille dame'', La Différence * 2007:

Élisabeth Badinter Élisabeth Badinter (née Bleustein-Blanchet; 5 March 1944) is a French philosopher, author and historian. She is best known for her philosophical treatises on feminism and women's role in society. She is an advocate of liberal feminism and ...

for lifetime achievement * 2006: Jean-Pierre Martin for ''Le Livre des hontes'',

Éditions du Seuil Éditions du Seuil (), also known as ''Le Seuil'', is a French publishing house established in 1935 by Catholic intellectual Jean Plaquevent (1901–1965), and currently owned by La Martinière Groupe. It owes its name to this goal "The ''seuil'' ...

* 2005: Serge Koster for ''Michel Tournier ou le choix du roman'', Zulma * 2004: Laurent Greilsamer for ''L'Éclair au front : la vie de René Char'', Hachette * 2003: Michel Décaudin for lifetime achievement * 2002: Jean-Philippe Domecq for ''Qui a peur de la littérature ?'', Mille et Une nuits * 2001: Marie-Claire Bancquart for ''Fin de siècle gourmande'' * 2000: Marc Petit for ''Éloge de la fiction'', Fayard * 1999:

Claude Dulong Claude Dulong-Sainteny or Marguerite-Claude Badalo-Dulong or Claude Dulong (12 June 1922 in Limoges – 29 October 2017 in Paris) was a French historian. Biography Graduate of the École Nationale des Chartes in 1945, then graduate in literatu ...

, member of the Institut * 1998:

Vénus Khoury-Ghata Vénus Khoury-Ghata (born 1937 in Bsharri, Lebanon) is a French-Lebanese poet and writer. Early life Venus Khoury-Ghata was born into a Maronite family, the daughter of a soldier that spoke French and a mother that was a peasant. She is the old ...

* 1997:

Pierre Moinot Pierre Moinot (29 March 1920, in Fressines, Deux-Sèvres – 6 March 2007, in Paris) was a French novelist. He was elected to the Académie française on 21 January 1982. Bibliography *''Armes et Bagages, roman'' (1952) *''La Chasse royale, r ...

, of the Académie française * 1996:

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 ...

* 1995:

Ghislain de Diesbach Ghislain de Diesbach de Belleroche (born 6 August 1931 in Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary ...

* 1994:

Jean-Louis Curtis Jean-Louis Curtis (22 May 1917 – 11 November 1995), pseudonym of Albert Laffitte, was a French novelist best known for his second novel '' The Forests of the Night'' (French: ''Les Forêts de la nuit''), which won France's highest literary award ...

, of the Académie française * 1993:

Jacqueline de Romilly Jacqueline Worms de Romilly (; née David, Greek: Ζακλίν ντε Ρομιγύ, 26 March 1913 – 18 December 2010) was a French philologist, classical scholar and fiction writer. She was the first woman nominated to the Collège de France, an ...

, of the Académie française * 1992:

René de Obaldia René de Obaldia (22 October 1918 – 27 January 2022) was a French playwright and poet. He was elected to the Académie française on 24 June 1999. Biography He was the great-grandson of José Domingo de Obaldía, the second President of Panam ...

of the Académie française * 1990: Michel Drouin * 1989: not attributed * 1988: Claude Roy * 1987: Gorges Lubin * 1986: Jean Blot, for ''Ivan Gontcharov ou le réalisme impossible'', L'Âge d'Homme * 1985:

Roger Kempf Roger Kempf (6 July 1927 – 9 September 2014) was a French writer, philosopher, Germanist and ethnologist of literature, and ''emeritus'' professor at the École polytechnique fédérale de Zurich. He was awarded several literary prizes, inclu ...

for ''Dandies, Baudelaire et Cie'', Grasset * 1984:

Henri Troyat Henri Troyat (born Lev Aslanovich Tarasov; – 2 March 2007) was a Russian-born French author, biographer, historian and novelist. Early life Lev Aslanovich Tarasov (russian: link=no, Лев Асланович Тарасов, ''Lev Aslanovich ...

, of the Académie française, for ''Tchekhov'',

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 ...

* 1983:

Béatrice Didier Béatrice Didier (born 21 December 1935 in La Tronche, Isère) is a French literary critic. Biography Didier was a professor of literature and a publishing series director. She earned a literary doctorate in 1965. She is also a Professor Emeritus ...

* 1979: Jacques Catteau, for ''La Création littéraire chez Dostoïevski'' * 1976:

Philippe Lejeune Philippe Lejeune (born 13 August 1938) is a French professor and essayist, known as a specialist in autobiography. He is the author of numerous works on the subject of autobiography and personal journals. He is a cofounder of the ''Association po ...

for ''Lire Leiris : Autobiographie et langage'', Klincksieck * 1974: José Cabanis, of the Académie française, ''Saint-Simon l’admirable'',

Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003 it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by Ga ...

* 1970:

Michel Mohrt Michel Mohrt (28 April 1914 – 17 August 2011) was an editor, essayist, novelist and historian of French literature. Mohrt was born in Morlaix, Finistère. He was elected to the Académie française on 18 April 1985. Mohrt died at the age of ...

, of the Académie française, for ''L'Air du large'' * 1960:

Michel Butor Michel Butor (; 14 September 1926 – 24 August 2016) was a French poet, novelist, teacher, essayist, art critic and translator. Life and work Michel Marie François Butor was born in Mons-en-Barœul, a suburb of Lille, the third of seven childre ...

for ''Répertoire 1'', Éditions de Minuit * 1952:

Georges Poulet Georges Poulet (; 29 November 1902 – 31 December 1991) was a Belgian literary critic associated with the Geneva School. Best known for his four-volume work ''Studies in Human Time'', Poulet rejected formalist approaches to literary criticism and ...

for ''La Distance intérieure'', Plon

External links

''Le Prix de la critique littéraire''
on Penclub français (23 October 2013) Critique littéraire Awards established in 1948 1948 establishments in France