Paris (France) (AFP) – More than 200 women writers, including Annie Ernaux, Virginie Despentes and Anne Godard, denounced Friday, in a column published on the Libération website, “the sexism” of the five main literary prizes which all rewarded men.
Published on: 06/11/2026 - 17:28
“We express our anger at this system of literary rewards whose operation, specific to France, does not seem to us at all capable of reflecting the richness and diversity of the literature that is written today,” express these authors.
Their column was published a few days after the announcement of the five major prizes for the literary season: the Goncourt awarded Philippe Jaenada, the Renaudot François-Henri Désérable, the Femina Yannick Haenel, the Médicis Philippe Vasset and the Grand Prix de l'Académie française Sébastien Lapaque.
"The juries accomplished the heroic feat of rewarding only men. All the more heroic since it was a literary season which had been described as open" and "there were many beautiful and important texts written by women, praised by critics, defended by booksellers and readers", states the tribune.
Some of these authors won lesser-known prizes, such as the Décembre prize for Anne Godard and the Flore prize for Lucie Rico, while the Femina stranger was awarded to the American Laura Kasischke.
For the signatory authors, "the old system of patriarchal inter-self is functioning at full capacity, and all the more effectively as the members of the juries of these 'grand prizes' are appointed by co-optation and serve, for the most part, for life".
According to them, "we must also see behind the reluctance of juries to award women a form of distancing from texts (...) which elevate to literary dignity all these 'feminine' subjects which are horrifying", like incest, the subject of several back-to-school books.
The authors call for the establishment of “rotating and equal juries, representing true editorial diversity”.
Initiated in particular by the philosopher Camille Froidevaux-Metterie and the writers Louise Chennevière and Anne Godard, the column was also signed by Anne Berest, Adèle Yon, Emma Marsantes and Nadia Daam.
© 2026 AFP
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