Every year, the most famous of literary prizes rewards an author for his or her work. This year’s winner was Nicolas Mathieu, for his novel “Leurs enfants après eux” (“Their Children After Them”). A recognized distinction whose price may seem very humble by comparison. Indeed, the winners receive a cheque for… 10 euros.
Prix Goncourt: a symbolic 10 euros for the winner
Originally, in 1903, the prize money for the Prix Goncourt amounted to 5,000 francs (or a cool 2,238,523.26 euros in today’s terms), but today it has dropped considerably… The reasons? The collapse of the savings of the company created by the Poincaré franc in 1928, but also… the First World War. By the 1960s, the price had already dropped from 5,000 francs to 50 new francs. It was rounded up to 10 euros with the introduction of the euro!
In comparison, the Paul-Morand prize is worth 45,000 euros. If the majority of Prix Goncourt winners don’t take offense at this modest remuneration, it’s mainly because it’s above all symbolic. On average, a Goncourt Prize means 400,000 copies sold, and perhaps just as many second-hand! It’s a wonderful showcase, which in itself enables the work of novelists to shine through every bookshop in France. So rather than cash it, some writers simply prefer to frame the check as a souvenir.