In 2021, India proudly joined the international family of the Choix Goncourt (Goncourt Choice). The Prix Goncourt is one of the most prestigious French literary prizes. It is awarded every year to the author of “the best and most imaginative prose work of the year”. The Goncourt Choice of India was created for Indian francophone students who love literature. It is affiliated with the Académie Goncourt.

Triste Tigre by Neige Sinno won the third edition of prize, announced during Goncourt choice of India’s ceremony happened on 14th February 2024.

For its third edition, the prize was supported by 10 institutions, comprising the network of Alliances Françaises as well as 9 universities across India:

The presidents of each of the nine juries juries of the Goncourt Choice of India met at the Residence of France in Delhi, where they debated their choices over lunch, following the ritual established by the Goncourt Academy for more than a century.

In the course of three months, the jury read the four books shortlisted for the Goncourt Prize in their original language, and discussed them with their teachers and classmates.  A series of online sessions were offered to them to get to know France’s most prestigious literary prize, to learn the basics of literary criticism, and to understand the publication journey behind the four titles.

  • Sarah, Susanne et l’écrivain, Eric Reinhardt (Gallimard)
  • Triste Tigre, Neige Sinno (P.O.L)
  • Veiller sur elle, Jean Baptiste Andrea (L’Iconoclaste)
  • Humus, Gaspard Koening (Les Éditions de l’Observatoire)

The winner of the third Goncourt Choice of India is Neige Sinno for her novel Triste Tigre published by P.O.L.