Mar 26: La Nuit au Coeur (Night in the Heart) by Nathacha Appanah has been awarded the Goncourt Choice of India 2026. The winner was announced by a jury of Indian students following a day of deliberations held in New Delhi, in the presence of distinguished guests including Ms Priya Paul, Chairperson of Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Limited and H.E. Mr Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India.
Chosen by a jury of Indian students, the prize honours a work of French literature from the shortlist of the prestigious Goncourt Prize. The winning title is subsequently translated into at least one Indian language. Following the panel discussion, the ten jury members formally announced the winner for the 2026 edition: La Nuit au Coeur (Night in the Heart) by Nathacha Appanah.
In La Nuit au cœur (Night in the Heart, 2025), Nathacha Appanah examines the unbearable enigma of intimate partner femicide, when the dark night takes the place of love, through the intertwined stories of three women who are victims of their partner’s violence. The book won the prestigious Prix Femina in France and has now become the Goncourt Choice of India.
