Confirmed
Sébastien Lapaque wins Académie française novel prize
The Académie française awarded its Grand Prix du roman to Sébastien Lapaque on 29 October 2026 for Le Rappel des oiseaux, published by Actes Sud.
The writer received eight votes in the third ballot, against seven for Yannick Haenel and three for Marie Petitcuénot. The award carries €10,000, according to the Académie.
The winning novel follows in the footsteps of Francis of Assisi. Lapaque, also a literary critic at Le Figaro, won the Renaudot essay prize in 2024 for Échec et mat au paradis.