Literary Awards in France: How Diverse, How Inclusive? Goncourt versus Femina

This article examines and compares the gender balance among the laureates of France’s most long-standing literary prizes, the Prix Goncourt and the Prix Femina. In addition, it opens a discussion about inclusion and diversity concerning the situation of authors commonly referred to as Francophone in the French literary field, that is non-French authors writing in French inside as well as outside ‘the hexagon’. In the first part, the two awards are presented within the framework of French literary award culture, discussing the processes of judgment and selection. The second part focuses on their degree of inclusion and diversity in terms of gender and Francophone writers. By exploring the issue of canon formation, this article aims to assess the level of inclusion and diversity found in the current book award system in France and does the preparatory work for a more elaborate exploration of the role of cultural transfer regarding literature written in French.