The jurors of Goncourt, the most prestigious literary prize in the French-speaking world, met this Monday to appoint their new president after the departure of Bernard Pivot. They chose the 74-year-old novelist, Didier Decoin.
Member of the Goncourt Academy since 1995, Didier Decoin was until now secretary general of the institution and was responsible for announcing each fall the name of the winner of Goncourt.
A former winner of the Goncourt
Son of filmmaker Henri Decoin, Bernard Pivot's successor was first a press journalist at France Soir before collaborating with several newspapers such as Le Figaro and Les Nouvelles littéraires.
This enthusiast of various facts participated in the creation of the magazine VSD and worked on Europe 1. Keen on navigation, he has long been a columnist for the review Neptune Motor.
In addition to journalism, he began a career as a novelist. He was 20 years old when he published his first book, "The Trial of Love". This will be followed by twenty titles, including "John the Hell" for which, in 1977, he received the Goncourt Prize.
A career in the audiovisual sector
Twice he chaired the Société des Gens de Lettres. He was also one of the founders of SCAM (Civil Society of Multimedia Authors).
Screenwriter for the cinema, he works for directors like Marcel Carné, Robert Enrico, Henri Verneuil, and Maroun Bagdadi with whom he will receive, for the film "Hors-la-vie", the special jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
But it is on television that Didier Decoin devotes most of his activities. Author of numerous original scripts and adaptations, and after directing the fiction of France 2 for three and a half years, in 1999 he received the Sept d'Or for the best screenplay for "Le Comte de Monte-Cristo", a mini - television series broadcast in 1998.
Renunciation of Bernard Pivot
He has also been president of the International Festival of Audiovisual Programs (FIPA) since 2012. A well-informed sailor, proud of his title as president of the Marine Writers, Didier Decoin lives in Normandy on the Cotentin peninsula.
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
Bernard Pivot gave up the presidency of the Goncourt academy in December "to find a free and full use of his time". Aged 84, the former host of "Apostrophes" has chaired the venerable institution for five years.
His years as president of the Goncourt jury were marked by the consecration of young writers like Leïla Slimani, with “Chanson douce” (Gallimard), adapted since on the big screen, and Nicolas Mathieu, rewarded in 2018 for “Their children after them” ( Actes Sud), novel on the social divide.
