For its very first edition, the Choix Goncourt Nordique brought together literature students from universities in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden. After rich and enthusiastic debates, Sandrine Collette won the vote with her novel Madelaine, avant l'aube (Madeleine Before Dawn).

It was the strength of the narrative, the richness of the imagination, and the sweeping power of the tale that convinced the jury. Through Madelaine, a heroine driven by fierce determination, the novel celebrates the courage to resist harsh climates, famine, and the arbitrariness of an unequal society—whatever the cost.

At a time when autobiographical writing dominates the global literary landscape, Madeleine Before Dawn marks a striking return to fiction.

Sandrine Collette is a rising voice in French literature. Her novel On était des loups (2022), winner of the Renaudot des lycéens prize, was acquired by Gyldendal in Denmark (publication scheduled for January 2026) and by J Publishing in Sweden. Madelaine, avant l'aube was published on August 31, 2024 by JC Lattès, and won the 2024 Prix Goncourt des lycéens in France before being awarded the Choix Goncourt Nordique.

Madeleine Before Dawn transports us to a hamlet sheltered from time. Les Montées is a world of its own for twins Ambre and Aelis, and old Rose. Life here has never been easy: families work stingy land belonging to others, enduring injustice in silence. Until the day Madelaine appears—a hungry, wild girl emerging from the forest. Adopted by Les Montées, she brings joy, courage, and passion, but behind her eyes burns a troubling flame, one that will one day set the world ablaze.

With Madelaine, avant l'aube, Sandrine Collette questions social order, probes the instinct for revolt, and offers, in dazzling prose, an ode to family bonds.

The deliberation, held on Friday, May 30, was opened by Philippe Claudel, president of the Académie Goncourt and acclaimed author of several works translated into Nordic languages (Les Âmes grises, La Petite Fille de Monsieur Linh, Le Rapport de Brodeck).

Created in 1903 by the brothers Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, the Prix Goncourt rewards “the best work of imagination in prose, published during the year.” It is the most prestigious French literary prize, with winners selling hundreds of thousands of copies each November.

The International Goncourt Choice, an offshoot of the main prize, was launched in Poland in 1998 and is now present in more than 40 countries. Supported by French Institutes and cultural services of embassies, it acts as a global literary barometer, highlighting contemporary French and Francophone works and encouraging their translation and publication abroad.

This new Nordic edition enriches an already vibrant constellation. While juries already existed in Sweden and Finland, this is the first time the entire Nordic region has united under the same literary banner.

The Choix Goncourt Nordique is organized in partnership with the French Institutes of Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, the Alliance Française in Reykjavik, and the French Embassy in Iceland. A remarkable literary and Francophone adventure is only just beginning.

Photo Credit: Olivier Culmann ©

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