Swiss-Italian author wins top French literary prize
The Kremlin: the heart of the political machinations in da Empoli’s novel.
Keystone / Maxim Shipenkov
Giuliano da Empoli has won the French Academy’s prestigious Grand Prix du Roman for “Le Mage du Kremlin” (“The Wizard of the Kremlin”), a novel about the inner workings of Vladimir Putin’s regime.
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Un autor ítalo-suizo gana el principal premio literario francés
The novel, published in April this year, takes the form of a long monologue by a fictional spin doctor working for Putin, Vadim Baranov. Baranov is in turn based on real-life advisor Vladislav Surkov, a co-founder of the United Russia party in 2001.
Swiss-Italian da Empoli, who was born in Paris, was himself once a political advisor to former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. “Le Mage du Kremlin” is his first novel.
Workings of power
Speaking to the press on Thursday, da Empoli said the book was “really imbued with a certain form of French literature, which has long had its place in the French Academy, and which dissects power, which observes it”.
Da Empoli’s book is also one of four finalists in the running for the equally prestigious Prix Goncourt, the results of which are to be announced on November 3.
The last Swiss winner of the Grand Prix du Roman was Joël Dicker 10 years ago, for “The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair”. The award comes with prize pot of €10,000 (CHF9,900).
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The 2019 Nobel Prize for Literature went to Austrian writer Peter Handke. One hundred years ago it was Swiss poet Carl Spitteler who won the award.
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