In pictures: Madame Figaro Heroine Grand Prix 2024 awards night

This Thursday, May 30, the big topic of conversation and concern was the weather conditions. It has never rained so much in May. But the gods of literature and celebration had spoken, and the clouds parted as the festivities opened. A large and enthusiastic audience gathered at the Raphael Hotel to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Madame Figaro Heroine Grand Prix. There was indeed a brief hailstorm, but it was at the time of the announcement of the prizes, everyone was inside, this creaking of the roofs as if the heavens were applauding the winners.

The moment of grace

At the opening, cellist Olivia Guterz of the Philharmonic Orchestra managed to cut through the clutter with charm and talent and create a moment of grace in front of Anne-Florence Schmitt, Editor-in-Chief. Madame Figarotells us how happy she was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of these heroines who are so close to her heart, to thank Melina Mantion from Panera House, who accompanies and supports the award, to welcome the fabulous godmother Zadie for this special evening. Smith from London.

Turban, blazer and skirt, ‘the great Zadie Smith’, happily in Paris, told us how important it was to her to read, read again and again, and Anne-Florence concluded that we also expected her to write, especially that he always writes like in his new novel The deception published by Gallimard. The president of the jury, Colombe Schneck, wanted to thank the members of the jury before announcing the names of the winners.

Sequence of emotions

An emotional sequence with Marie Dariesek, who receives the prize for the French novel and reminds us that the heroines. Making a wife that we find some of these novels to have been of prize age, the editor of Beatriz Lema is pleased to read thanks to the author of a very exciting graphic novel; Saying bad thingsfeelings still with Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse who receives an award column, A sad story about the massacres in Rwanda. It is Patricia Melo who takes the stage for the foreign novel The ones we killIn his voice and accent, we feel all the sunshine of Brazil and also a certain seriousness when he tells us that regions of Brazil experience the highest rate of femicide in the world, this is the subject of his novel.

Sequence of subtlety

Sisterhood, friendship, warmth were the key words of this evening. Then comes the gourmet succession, with champagne, vodka, caviar, macaroon pyramids arriving ashore. Happy birthday By Stevie Wonder, we dance, we drink, we talk on the balcony… Illustrator Edith Caron sketches guests leaving with award-winning books marked with the Ex Libris stamp, created especially for the master’s 20th anniversary. the watchmaker reveals to us the secrets of time, time passes quickly and already in the distance the Eiffel Tower shines.