Philippe Jaenada Wins Prix Goncourt for True Crime Novel on 1949 Murder Case

Cansot, dubbed “the woman with a hundred portraits” for her prominence among artists in Montparnasse, was discovered dead on September 7, 1949, yet her killer was never identified. Jaenada’s novel seeks not only to investigate her murder but also to restore her reputation, which had been tarnished by police assessments that labeled her as a woman of “ill repute.” The original police report led to newspaper claims that implied she was a sex worker or a drug addict.

This year’s Prix Goncourt has drawn attention not only for Jaenada's win but also due to the controversy surrounding another longlisted book by Canadian-Haitian author Thélyson Orélien, who faced allegations that his work, C’était ça ou mourir (It Was That or Die), was predominantly written by artificial intelligence. Following the claims, the Académie Goncourt removed Orélien’s book from contention, and his publisher, Boréal, ended its relationship with him. Orélien has denied any use of AI in his writing.

Jaenada, who has been shortlisted for the Goncourt award four times previously, has made a name for himself by investigating historical figures since his 2013 work, Sulak, which told the story of a notorious jewel thief from the 1980s. In L’Inconnue du quai de Javel, which spans 530 pages, he delves into Cansot’s past, chronicling her journey from Brittany to Paris, where she became a life model for painter Jean-Louis Boussingault, eventually connecting with other artists.

Le Monde praised Jaenada’s empathetic portrayal of Cansot, noting his efforts to clarify her circumstances and suggesting potential suspects while weaving humor and a “touch of grumpy tenderness” into the narrative. Jaenada drew inspiration for this work by immersing himself in 74 of the 75 novels in Georges Simenon’s Inspector Maigret series, which depict crime life in 1940s Paris.