Novel about Zelda Fitzgerald wins literary prize 05/11/2007 00:00

5 November 2007

PARIS (AFP) - France's most prestigious literary award, the Goncourt, was awarded on Monday to Gilles Leroy for "Alabama Song", a fictional autobiography of F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife Zelda.

For the novel, Leroy, 48, slipped into Zelda's skin to retrace the wild parties of the "roaring" 1920s in the United States, her volcanic relationship with her novelist-husband, and her decades-long, losing battle with mental illness.

"Alabama Song" was chosen among five finalists for the prize recognizing the best novel of the year.

A former journalist, Leroy has written a dozen works including short stories since the publication in 1987 of his first novel "Habibi".

The writer won four out of six votes from the jury with the other two cast in favour of Olivier Adam, 33, for "A l'abri de rien" (Shelterd from Nothing), a tale of a woman awaiting passage to England in French migrant camps.

The 2006 Goncourt prize went to first-time American author Jonathan Littell for his 900-page work "Les Bienveillantes" (The Well-Meaning Ones) written in French as the fictional memoirs of a German SS officer.

Five novels are vying for the Renaudot prize, also awarded Monday, kicking off the French literary season.

AFP

Subject: French news