Under the dome, French-language literature has once again shone. On Thursday, October 30, 2025, the Grand Prix du Roman de l'Académie Françaisewas awarded to Yanick Lahens for her novel Passagères de nuit, published by Sabine Wespieser. This prize, worth €10,000, is part of the annual tradition ofthe Académie Française, which has been honoring French-language authors since 1915. The election took place in Paris, after three particularly close rounds of voting.
The Haitian writer won by a narrow margin, obtaining eleven votes to ten for Pauline Dreyfus and her novel Un pont sur la Seine (Grasset). The third finalist, Alfred de Montesquiou, was in the running with Le Crépuscule des hommes (Robert Laffont). This decision comes shortly before the other major literary prizes of the fall, such as the Femina, the Goncourt, the Renaudot, and the Médicis.
Born in 1953 in Port-au-Prince, Yanick Lahens, 71, is a recognized figure in Haitian literature. Winner of the Femina Prize in 2014 for Bain de lune, she continues her work on the themes of memory, transmission, and the female condition. In Passagères de nuit, the author "pays tribute to the hope and resilience of the line of women from which she descends," according to her publisher's presentation. The novel traces the journey of several generations, from Elizabeth, born in 1818 in New Orleans, to Régina, "born poor among the poor" in Haiti half a century later.
The book also evokes the tragic reality of the "night passengers" aboard slave ships, in a narrative that alternates between pain and resilience. These women, writes Lahens, move forward with the motto: "Always move forward without looking back."
The prize is also a recognition for Éditions Sabine Wespieser, an independent publishing house founded in 2002 that specializes in publishing French-speaking authors. The publisher, which has already received several awards in the literary world, has thus seen its role in highlighting unique and committed writing confirmed.
With Passagères de nuit, Sabine Wespieser continues her work supporting authors from a variety of backgrounds, confirming her place in the French publishing landscape. Yanick Lahens succeeds Franco-Venezuelan Miguel Bonnefoy, winner in 2024 for Le Rêve du jaguar (Rivages).
The awarding of the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française marks the start of the literary awards season in France. With the Femina, Goncourt, Renaudot, and Médicis awards set to be announced in the coming days, this first distinction sets the tone for an autumn marked by literature and the diversity of French-speaking voices.
This award confirms Yanick Lahens' place among the great figures of contemporary literature, while highlighting the important role women play in passing on collective memory and the history of peoples.
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