Armenia Joins the International Goncourt Tradition, Newmag Becomes Official National Operator

For the first time, Armenia has joined the ranks of the Goncourt National Jury countries, and this year, the country also chose its very first Armenian Goncourt winner. The initiative is organized in Armenia by Newmag Publishing, in collaboration with the French Embassy, the French Institute, the French University in Armenia, and The Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF). 

The Armenian selection took place at Charles Restaurant, mirroring the French tradition with a dinner-discussion where jury members and prize organizers debated the contenders before announcing the winner.

The Armenian Goncourt jury consisted of 30 students from Yerevan State University, Bryusov University, and the French University in Armenia. They discussed the eight books selected by the Goncourt Academy and ultimately chose Gaël Faye’s novel “Jacaranda” as Armenia’s first Goncourt winner.

With this historic selection, Armenia officially joined the international Goncourt selection tradition, becoming the 39th country to participate.

The Goncourt Prize, established in 1903, honors the best prose work written in French each year. The laureate is selected by the Goncourt Academy every November 4. The international Goncourt jury tradition began in Poland in 1998, and since then, students in 39 countries have been participating in choosing the winners. Armenia made its debut in 2024 during Francofest, the French book and art festival organized by Newmag. Pascal Bruckner, member of the Goncourt Academy, and Françoise Rosino, chief delegate of the Academy, officially launched Goncourt Armenia.

This year, Newmag Francofest 2025 will take place on November 15 at the Congress Hotel. At the festival, the publishing house will present Gaël Faye’s “Jacaranda”, the Armenian Goncourt winner, along with “And Their Children After Them” by 2018 Goncourt laureate Nicolas Mathieu. Pascal Bruckner will attend the festival to present the Armenian edition of his book “My Little Husband”, and Joël Dicker’s “The Baltimore Boys” will also be featured as one of the festival’s key French-language presentations.

Through this initiative, Armenia not only celebrates French literature but also strengthens its cultural dialogue with the Francophone world, marking a significant milestone in the country’s literary landscape.