Alexis Jenni, Winner of the 2011 Prix Goncourt

I was one of a few fans who headed to the restaurant Drouant on Place Gaillon at 12:45 this afternoon for the announcement of the winner of the prix Goncourt. I took a bunch of photos (that I hope I'll use for teaching) of the media scrum in front of the restaurant. On the far side of the street, where I was, average people were speculating... Where will they make the announcement? Who will come out? Lots were just wondering what all the commotion was about. At 12:48 someone in the crowd found out via his iphone that Jenni had won and shared the news. A member of the Goncourt jury (I couldn't see who at all, just noticed the movement of the cameras) made an announcement and then all the cameras turned to face the street, waiting for the winner to pull up in a taxi. There were a couple false starts as they waited, someone thinking they'd spotted Jenni. When he finally pulled up the cameras rushed toward him. He was escorted to the front of the restaurant by a Drouant employee (fellow in the brown cap with gold lettering in my photo) where he answered a few questions. I couldn't hear a word he said but was really pleased to get this picture, just before he headed in to Drouant.

Jenni, a biology professor from Lyon, won for his first novel, L'art français de la guerre published by Gallimard. See: http://culture.france2.fr/livres/actu/alexis-jenni-couronne-par-le-goncourt-71064651.html