Gallimard Title Wins Eastern European Academic Prize
Nathacha Appanah’s La nuit au cœur (Gallimard) has secured the 13th Choix Goncourt de la Roumanie, as selected by 65 students and faculty from six universities.
Announced on 4 December, the Mauritian-French author’s triumph over seven shortlisted titles signals strong youth appeal in the Romanian market.
30+ Countries Now Replicate France’s Literary Prize Model
Launched in 2017, the Académie Goncourt’s international student jury initiative has evolved into a strategic soft‑power asset for French publishing.
With participating nations from Albania to Vietnam, the programme generates multiple national winners annually, extending titles’ commercial lifespan and foreign rights potential.
Each jury debates the identical eight‑book shortlist considered by the Académie, democratising literary discourse while cultivating future readerships.
The View From The Beach
For publishers, these student verdicts offer actionable market data. Romania’s endorsement of Appanah’s novel – promoted by Bucharest’s Kyralina bookstore and Radio România Internațional – identifies a title with grassroots momentum before conventional rights negotiations commence.
This parallel ecosystem creates advocates among emerging translators, academics, and booksellers, while the 2025 shortlist’s representation of seven French houses underscores broad industry engagement.
The programme essentially functions as a transnational discovery platform, de‑risking foreign acquisitions through peer‑validated selections.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsletter.
