Madelaine avant l’aube by Sandrine Collette wins US Goncourt Prize Selection

New York, April 21, 2025 – Last weekend, a jury of 10 university students announced Madelaine avant l’aube by Sandrine Collette the winner of the fourth US Goncourt Prize Selection. Hosted at Villa Albertine with the remote participation of Honorary Chair Neige Sinno (author of Sad Tiger, trans. by Natasha Lehrer, winner of the 2023 US Goncourt Prize Selection and of numerous international distinctions), the award ceremony resulted from months of study and debate conducted by students at 10 American universities around the four-book Prix Goncourt shortlist. This year, participating universities were Columbia University, Duke University, Harvard University, New York University, Princeton University, University of Florida, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Southern California, and University of California Los Angeles, and Yale University. Proceedings for this year’s ceremony were led by Judith Roze, Deputy Director of Villa Albertine.

The Prix Goncourt is considered one of France’s most prestigious literary prizes. International Goncourt Prize Selections – selected by university students in 40 countries – are a global literary gauge, measuring how the shortlist for the Prix Goncourt resonates with many younger audiences around the world. The US prize, now in its fourth year, is organized and funded by Villa Albertine, in partnership with the Académie Goncourt and universities from the French Embassy’s Centers of Excellence network.

This year’s winner, Sandrine Collette, is a French author as well as a professor of philosophy and literature. She is the author of numerous novels. Her English language debut, Nothing But Dust (trans. by Alison Anderson, Europa), won the 2013 Landerneau Prize for crime fiction.

Madelaine avant l’aube tells the story of three women, Ambre, Aelis, and the elderly Rose, who live in the remote hamlet of Les Montées and survive by working land that is not theirs. Their routine is upended by the arrival of Madelaine, a wild child emerging from the forest. Taken in by the community, she captivates with her energy and boldness, yet a troubling spark glows in her eyes—the sign of a brewing rebellion. The book will soon be published in the US by Europa Editions.

The 2025 US Goncourt Prize was awarded by a jury of 10 students who described the selection process selection as an “enriching experience filled with intense debates and rarely consensual exchanges — which made it all the more engaging. Meeting students from other universities, with diverse backgrounds, was truly stimulating. We were proud to give a voice to American universities and to have an impact on the literary world in both France and the United States.”

“Through the US Goncourt Prize Selection, American students are given tangible opportunity to explore and examine French and Francophone literature, promoting the vitality of French studies for tomorrow’s leaders. As 10 universities participated in this year’s selection, we are indeed proud to see so many students benefit from rigorous coursework addressing issues in contemporary French culture,” said Mohamed Bouabdallah, Cultural Counselor of France in the United States and Director of Villa Albertine.

Sandrine Collette’s Madelaine avant l’aube was selected from a shortlist that also included:

• Kamel Daoud, Houris, published by Gallimard
• Gaël Faye, Jacaranda, published by Grasset
• Hélène Gaudy, Archipels, published by L’Olivier