Laurent Mauvignier Wins Goncourt Prize with 'The Empty House', a Novel Paying Tribute to 19th Century Literature

Laurent Mauvignier has been awarded the Goncourt Prize for his novel 'The Empty House'. Despite Emmanuel Carrère being the most renowned finalist this year, he did not win the prestigious French literary award. Known for works like 'The Adversary' and 'Limonov', Carrère remains without this accolade. Mauvignier's novel was well-received by critics and emerged victorious in a close vote, with Belgian Caroline Lamarche's 'Le Bel Obscur' as the runner-up.

Although Mauvignier's name may not be as commercially known as Carrère's, the 58-year-old author is highly regarded by literary critics. He is celebrated for his elegant prose in French. Anagrama has translated his recent novels into Spanish, including 'Stories of the Night', 'What I Call Oblivion', and 'Men'. Now, he has achieved his greatest recognition with his most ambitious work of fiction. 'The Empty House' stands out not only for its length (over 700 pages) but also for its homage to 19th-century literature, undoubtedly the golden age of French letters.

In this monumental book, the author explores and attempts to revive his family's history across four generations. The premise stems from dilemmas that have haunted him since adolescence, such as his father's suicide. "As if everything was programmed from birth, as if there was no chance, but rather everything was the result of a mathematical logic," Mauvignier writes in the novel. It is an autobiographical novel, yet filled with invented elements born from imagination, serving as a replacement for memories lost over time.

'The Empty House' is set in the family home in the village of La Bassée, a fictional version of Descartes, located in central France. The story spans the family's lineage from 1880 to the late 1950s, beginning with the inability to find the Legion of Honour medal of a family hero who died in 1916 on the battlefield. Both World Wars feature prominently.

With explicit references to the novels of Émile Zola, Mauvignier's work is a clear homage to 19th-century literature. During that era, the transmission from one generation to another was a recurring theme. However, Mauvignier adds a modern tone with the prominence of female roles and the ensemble nature of the work, where no single character stands out above the others.