On Wednesday June 3, the teams from the French Institute, the Académie Goncourt and the Syndicat national de lédition (SNE) met at the headquarters of the Institut français, rue de la Folie-Régnault in Paris, to formalize a new partnership intended to facilitate access to books in digital format for selected Choix Goncourt students internationally.
Discussions between signatories
When the guests arrive, the atmosphere is still calm. In an office upstairs, a few personalities meet for an informal exchange before the ceremony. Philippe Claudelpresident of the Goncourt Academy, Vincent Montagnepresident du SNE, Eva Nguyen Binhpresident of the French Institute, Martin Briensrecently appointed secretary general of the Quai d’Orsay, as well as several collaborators discuss the vitality of French literary creation and the international scope of the Choix Goncourt.
Philippe Claudel recounts in particular the recent launch of the Goncourt Choice in Indonesia, while Eva Nguyen Binh returns to the trip of a French delegation to Kyiv, in Ukraine, on the occasion of the Book Arsenal, despite the war context. Examples which illustrate the place that literature occupies today as a vector of cultural dialogue.
A few minutes later, the participants return to the ground floor. The room gradually filled up. Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of the Goncourt Academy and collaborators of the French Institute and the SNE exchange in a warm hubbub before the official signing.
Philippe Claudel, Vincent Montagne, Martin Briens and Eva Nguyen Binh at the French Institute – Photo LL
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Facilitate access to competing books
In fact, every fall, nearly 10,000 students participate in Choix Goncourt. This derivative of the prestigious literary prize allows high school students to debate novels from the French literary season before designating, in their country, their own winner from the list of the Goncourt prize. Created in 1998 with Poland as the first partner country, the system now has 52 Choix Goncourt spread across 74 countries.
The objective of the partnership is simple: to allow the three institutions to coordinate so that student judges can more easily access the novels in the running for the most prestigious French literary prize.
The question of the delivery of books
Le partenariat répond à une difficulté récurrente : « As you know, in certain countries it is quite difficult to transport books, it has a cost it takes time, this partnership will allow much more fluidity“, recalls Philippe Claudel. To respond to this issue, the titles from the selection will now be made available on Culturethèque, the digital library of the French cultural network.
This solution will allow students to quickly access texts, while maintaining the sending of paper copies when possible. According to Philippe Claudel, this partnership will promote “a happy and rapid spread of ultra-contemporary French literature ”.
Safety of works
The convention also aims to respond to publishers’ concerns regarding the circulation of digital files. Until now, works were sometimes transmitted by email, a system considered insufficiently secure: “ PDFs circulated a lot by email, which posed problems in terms of legal security. There was a risk of escape“, she explains. Before adding that Culturethèque is “a secure platform, open only to the network, which allows workstations to very easily access the books on which to work».
Eva Nguyen Binh recognizes that this operation remained relatively artisanal and could generate a feeling of discomfort among the different partners: “We are therefore moving towards a more structured and more sustainable procedure. »
Sustain the system
After a test phase carried out last year, the partners decided to perpetuate the system. File consultations can now be tracked, allowing better control of their distribution. A development welcomed by the National Publishing Union, whose president Vincent Montagne insists on the importance of receiving the texts “under conditions where there is no risk of proliferation ”.
« The 16 preselected titles come each year from different publishers, so you have to get used to this exercise, the partnership is made to formalize this way of working“, concludes the president of the SNE.
A prize that promotes French literature
Beyond logistical questions, the Choix Goncourt de l’étran play a major role in the dissemination of contemporary French literature. They allow students from all over the world to discover works in their original language.The goal of these Goncourt Choices is to introduce a contemporary voice to students who do us the honor of being interested in our language and our culture.“, underlines Philippe Claudel.
The success of the system also relies on the commitment of the teams from the French Institutes, teachers and students who contribute to its implementation in new countries. A dynamic that benefits authors and publishers by offering the selected works increasing international visibility.
For Vincent Montagne, these initiatives fully contribute to French cultural influence: “It is French cultural diplomacy which allows these quality texts, dealing with contemporary global issues, to be recognized internationally.. »
