Prix Médicis: translated literature and winners

This dossier follows Prix Médicis winners and their books, distinguishing finalist selections from awards.

Last updated : 2 November 20262 key moments

Archive illustration, August 2006; shows neither the winning books nor the award ceremony. Abhi Sharma, CC BY 2.0. — Abhi Sharma / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ — 27 août 2006, sans modification.

Where things stand

On 2 November 2026, Philippe Vasset won the Médicis for Dans les grandes lignes, Jean-Baptiste Del Amo the essay prize and Richard Zenith a special prize. Eva Baltasar won the foreign-fiction award for Déclin et fascination.

2 November 2026Confirmed

Eva Baltasar wins Médicis Étranger for Déclin et fascination

Catalan writer Eva Baltasar won the Médicis Étranger on 2 November 2026 for Déclin et fascination. Verdier published the French edition in Annie Bats’s translation.

Portrait of Eva Baltasar in January 2014. — Archive portrait, not the award ceremony. Elcros, CC BY-SA 3.0; resized. — Elcros / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ ; 31 janvier 2014, redimensionnement.

The book is the French edition of Ocàs i fascinació. Livres Hebdo and Catalan newspaper ARA report the result, turning the novel’s finalist status into an awarded prize.

The winners were announced at La Méditerranée restaurant in Paris. This distinction concerns the foreign novel category, separate from the award for a novel in French and the essay category.

Sources 3

2 November 2026Confirmed

Philippe Vasset wins Prix Médicis for Dans les grandes lignes

Philippe Vasset was awarded the 2026 Prix Médicis in Paris on 2 November for Dans les grandes lignes, published by Flammarion. Jean-Baptiste Del Amo received the essay award and Richard Zenith a special prize.

Books in a library. — Archive illustration, August 2006; shows neither the winning books nor the award ceremony. Abhi Sharma, CC BY 2.0. — Abhi Sharma / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ — 27 août 2006, sans modification.

Vasset beat Lucie Rico by five votes to four, according to Livres Hebdo. His novel follows a journey across France along high-voltage power lines, exploring the landscapes and places they cross.

The jury selected Jean-Baptiste Del Amo’s Une éclaircie, published by Stock, for the essay award. The special prize recognises Richard Zenith’s biography of the Portuguese writer, Pessoa, l’œuvre-vie, published by Seuil. These awards complete the winners announced at La Méditerranée restaurant.

Sources 2