author
René Benjamin
1885–1948
Best known for winning the Prix Goncourt during World War I, this French writer brought sharp observation and lively energy to novels, journalism, and public lectures. His career later came full circle when he joined the Académie Goncourt itself.
2 Audiobooks
La farce de la Sorbonne
by René Benjamin
La Cour d'Assises, ses pompes et ses œuvres
by René Benjamin
About the author
Born in Paris on March 20, 1885, René Benjamin became a French writer, journalist, and lecturer whose work reached a wide public. He is especially remembered for Gaspard, the novel that won the Prix Goncourt in 1915.
That prize made him one of the notable literary voices of his time, and his career continued for decades after. In 1938, he became the first Goncourt laureate to be elected to the Académie Goncourt, the jury behind the award.
Benjamin died in Tours on October 4, 1948. Today he is remembered above all for the success of Gaspard and for his place in the history of one of France’s best-known literary prizes.