Grand Prize for the novel of the French Academy: the first selection revealed

Who to succeed Yanick Lahens, winner in 2025? The Commission for the Grand Prix du roman of the French Academy established its first selection this Thursday, October 1. After a second selection on Thursday October 15, the Grand Prix du roman will be awarded on Thursday October 29, a few days before the Goncourt or Renaudot prizes are awarded.

We will notice a more extensive list than usual, with twelve very varied titles. Canadian author Thélyson Orélien, present on most of the fall prize lists, is not there, following accusations of plagiarism as well as massive use of AI. Among the authors selected, we note the presence of Ananda Devi, Sonia Devillers and Olivier Rolin, also present on the Goncourt list and that of Renaudot. We also find Yannick Haenel, already on the Goncourt list, and Marie Petitcuénot, on the Renaudot list.

Note that, like the Académie Goncourt, the French Academy no longer distinguishes fiction from narrative: the Academy's Grand Prix du roman selected three non-fiction works, that of Sébastien Lapaque, that of Sonia Devillers, and that of Olivier Rolin. We can also note that Jessica L. Nelson's novel, Les Amants du Vercors, is not a back-to-school book.

Last year, the academicians presented their prize to Haitian author Yanick Lahens for Passagères de nuit, a novel in which she pays tribute to her two ancestors who fought for their freedom in the 19th century in the New World, between New Orleans and Haiti.

Here is the list of selected novels:

The Land of Summers, by Pierre Adrian (Gallimard)

The Masters of the Soil, by Ryad Assani-Razaki (Liana Levi)

Chronicle of a lost kingdom, by Ananda Devi (Grasset)

The Fabulous Piano, by Sonia Devillers (Robert Laffont)

The solitude of teachers is infinite, by Yannick Haenel (Gallimard)

Hyperkarma, by Nicolas Idier (Stock)

The Reminder of the Birds, by Sébastien Lapaque (Actes Sud)

The Lovers of the Vercors, by Jessica L. Nelson (Albin Michel)

Wild Hours, by Marie Petitcuénot (Héloïse d’Ormesson)

On the other side of the lake, by Sylvain Prudhomme (Éditions de Minuit)

The Eternal War, by Olivier Rolin (Gallimard)

Midgar, by Noham Selcer (Gallimard)