The Prix Goncourt is the most prestigious literary prize in France, and is awarded by the Académie Goncourt, a jury composed of literary figures: Didier Decoin, Françoise Chandernagor, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Paule Constant, Philippe Claudel, Pierre Assouline, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Camille Laurens, Pascal Bruckner and Christine Angot.
Set in 1976, when a long-shuttered family house is reopened, La Maison vide begins with a few relics: a piano, a chipped marble chest, a Légion d’honneur, photos with a face cut out, and spans four generations shaped by two world wars, probing memory, silence, and their lingering shadows.
Laurent Mauvignier joined us at the Institut as part of the Beyond Words Festival on 15 May 2023 for a discussion with author and translator Lauren Elkin.
Watch the conversation
Watch our exclusive interview of Laurent Mauvignier
- Picture: DR