Joseph D’Anvers, winner of the Marcel Pagnol Prize 2023

It is on June 19th that Joseph d’Anvers will receive the Marcel Pagnol Prize 2023 for his book “Un garçon ordinaire” (Rivages) at the Fouquet’s. The jury praised these childhood memories as a novel of great accuracy that captivates us with its freshness and tenderness. It is also a chronicle of adolescence in the 1990s, during which the author, a singer-songwriter, performer, and musician, found his way with the support of the rock band Nirvana.

“An Ordinary Boy” is Joseph d’Anvers‘ third novel.

The 2023 selection

• Et le jour sera pour moi comme la nuit – Françoise Grard (Maurice Nadeau)
• Fille en colère sur un banc de pierre – Véronique Ovaldé (Flammarion)
• Incendie blanc – Antoine Catel (Calmann-Lévy)
• Je me souviens de Falloujah – Fleurat Alani (JC Lattès)
• Les guerres précieuses– Perrine Tripier (Gallimard)
• Une magie ordinaire – Kossi Efoui (Seuil)
• Un garçon ordinaire – Joseph d’Anvers (Rivages)

The Jury

Presided by Daniel Picouly, the jury is composed of:
Mohammed Aissaoui / Philippe Chauveau
Grégoire Delacourt / Franck Duval / Guy Goffette
Floryse Grimaud / Dominique Guiou/ Karin Hann
Pascal Ory from the French Academy / Nicolas Pagnol / Jean-Noël Pancrazi

Since its creation in 2000, the Marcel Pagnol Prize has been awarded to a novel on the theme of childhood memories. This “literature of origins” is a milestone for almost all writers. Both childhood and what remains of it throughout life are powerful sources of inspiration and creation.

The winners of the Marcel Pagnol Prize

Philippe Claudel – Quelques-uns des cent regrets (Balland) / Dominique Fabre – Fantômes (Le Serpent à plumes) / Azouz Begag– Le Marteau pique-cœur (Le Seuil) / Pierre Pelot – Méchamment dimanche (Héloïse d’Ormesson) /  Guy Goffette– Une enfance lingère (Gallimard) / Didier Van Cauwelaert – Le père adopté (Albin-Michel) /  Philippe Pollet-Villard – La fabrique de souvenirs (Flammarion) /
Agnès Desarthe – Le remplaçant (L’Olivier) / Lionel Duroy – Le Chagrin (Julliard) / Grégoire Delacourt – L’écrivain de la famille (JC Lattès) / Jean-Noël Pancrazi – La montagne (Gallimard) / Samuel Blumenfeld – Au nom de la loi (Grasset) / Pascal Bruckner – Un bon fils (Grasset) / Gilles Leroy – Le monde selon Billy Boy (Mercure de France) / Astrid Eliard – Danser (Mercure de France) / Laura Alcoba – La danse de l’araignée – (Gallimard) / Colombe Schneck – Les guerres de mon père (Stock) / Bruno Masi – La Californie – (JC Lattès) / Serge Toubiana – Le fils de la maitresse – (Arléa)

The Marcel Pagnol Prize is endowed with 3000 euros by the Marcel Pagnol Endowment Fund. Fouquet’s Paris has been a partner of the Marcel Pagnol Prize practically since its inception. Marcel Pagnol was a loyal patron of this prestigious Parisian establishment of cinema and literature, where he enjoyed gathering his troupe and friends. Even today, a plaque on the ground floor of the brasserie marks his favorite table.