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The Société littéraire des Goncourt (French pronunciation: [sɔsjete liteʁɛʁ de ɡɔ̃kuʁ], Goncourt Literary Society), usually called the Académie Goncourt ([akademi ɡɔ̃kuʁ], Goncourt Academy), is a French literary organisation based in Paris. It was founded in 1882 by the French writer and publisher Edmond de Goncourt (1822–1896), who wanted to create a new way to encourage literature in France and disagreed with the contemporary policies of the Académie Française.

Formation and organisation

Wishing to honour his deceased brother Jules (1830–1870), Goncourt bequeathed his estate to establish an organisation to promote literature in France. He named his friend, the writer Alphonse Daudet, along with Léon Hennique, to oversee and administer his estate. The society was to consist of ten members, of whom eight were nominated in the will. Each of the members was to receive an annuity of 6,000 francs, and a yearly prize of 5,000 francs was to be awarded to the author of some work of fiction. After some litigation, the academy was constituted in 1903.^[1] Since then, each December, a ten-member board of the Académie has awarded the Prix Goncourt for the best work of fiction of the year.

Membership is reserved to writers who have produced works in the French language, but it is not limited to citizens of France. In 1996, the Spanish novelist and scriptwriter Jorge Semprún was elected as the first foreigner to become a member of the academy.

In addition to the Prix Goncourt, which comes with a symbolic cheque of 10 euros, the Académie Goncourt awards honours for first novel and achievements in short story, poetry and biography genres.

The ten members of the academy are usually called les Dix (the Ten). They meet the first Tuesday of each month, except in summer. Since 1914, they have convened in an oval room, the salon Goncourt, on the second floor of the restaurant Drouant,^[2] place Gaillon, in the heart of Paris. The cutlery which they use while dining there constitutes the main physical continuity of the academy. Each new member receives the fork and knife of the member whom he (or she) is replacing, and the member's name is engraved on the knife and the fork.

Current members

As of 2020, the members of the Académie Goncourt are:^[3]

Didier Decoin, elected 1995; President
Françoise Chandernagor, elected 1995; Vice President
Tahar Ben Jelloun, elected 2008
Patrick Rambaud, elected 2008
Philippe Claudel, elected 2012; Secretary General
Pierre Assouline, elected 2012
Paule Constant, elected 2013
Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, elected 2016
Pascal Bruckner, elected 2020
Camille Laurens, elected 2020

Academicians by seat

1st Seat

1900–1942 : Léon Daudet
1942–1944 : Jean de La Varende
1944–1954 : Colette
1954–1970 : Jean Giono
1971–1977 : Bernard Clavel
1977–2004 : André Stil
2004–2019 : Bernard Pivot
2020–present : Pascal Bruckner

2nd Seat

1900–1907 : Joris-Karl Huysmans
1907–1910 : Jules Renard
1910–1917 : Judith Gautier
1918–1924 : Henry Céard
1924–1939 : Pol Neveux
1939–1948 : Sacha Guitry
1949–1983 : Armand Salacrou
1983–2016 : Edmonde Charles-Roux
2016–present : Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt

3rd Seat

1900–1917 : Octave Mirbeau
1917–1947 : Jean Ajalbert
1947–1973 : Alexandre Arnoux
1973–1995 : Jean Cayrol
1995–present : Didier Decoin

4th Seat

1900–1940 : J.-H. Rosny aîné
1940–1942 : Pierre Champion
1943–1971 : André Billy
1971–2012 : Robert Sabatier
2013–present : Paule Constant

5th Seat

1900–1948 : J.-H. Rosny jeune
1948–1967 : Gérard Bauër
1967–1968 : Louis Aragon
1969–1983 : Armand Lanoux
1983–2008 : Daniel Boulanger
2008–present : Patrick Rambaud

6th Seat

1900–1935 : Léon Hennique
1936–1950 : Léo Larguier
1951–1977 : Raymond Queneau
1977–2008 : François Nourissier
2006–present : Tahar Ben Jelloun

7th Seat

1900–1918 : Paul Margueritte
1919–1923 : Émile Bergerat
1924–1937 : Raoul Ponchon
1938–1948 : René Benjamin
1949–1971 : Philippe Hériat
1972–2011 : Michel Tournier
2011–2015 : Régis Debray
2016–2020 : Virginie Despentes
2020–present : Camille Laurens

8th Seat

1900–1926 : Gustave Geffroy
1926–1929 : Georges Courteline
1929–1973 : Roland Dorgelès
1973–1995 : Emmanuel Roblès
1995–present : Françoise Chandernagor

9th Seat

1900–1925 : Élémir Bourges
1926–1937 : Gaston Chérau
1937–1958 : Francis Carco
1958–1996 : Hervé Bazin
1996–2011 : Jorge Semprún
2012–present : Philippe Claudel

10th Seat

1900–1949 : Lucien Descaves
1950–1970 : Pierre Mac Orlan
1970–2011 : Françoise Mallet-Joris
2012–present : Pierre Assouline

Notes

^ Symons, Arthur (1911). "Goncourt, De" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 231.
^ "Histoire" Archived 2009-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, Restaurant Drouant. Note: The restaurant Drouant was founded as a bar tabac by the Alsatian Charles Drouant, who expanded it to a bistrot. It made its reputation from the fresh oysters delivered by Drouant's brother, who farmed them. Daudet was a regular, as were artists such as Renoir, Rodin and Camille Pissarro.
^ "Les Membres". Académie Goncourt (in French). Retrieved 7 November 2021.