The 2025 Prix Renaudot Awards a Forgotten Woman of Literature
On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, the Prix Renaudot was awarded to Adélaïde de Clermont-Tonnerre for her novel Je voulais vivre, published by Grasset.
The announcement took place at the legendary Drouant restaurant in Paris's 2nd arrondissement, near the Opéra Garnier. This prestigious literary prize celebrates a bold work that brings to life one of the most fascinating and controversial female characters in French literature: Milady de Winter, the sworn enemy from Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers.
A Historic Venue for Literary Excellence
Since 1926, the Renaudot jury has convened at this iconic restaurant on Place Gaillon, a true temple of Parisian literary prizes that also hosts the Goncourt deliberations since 1914. This century-old tradition has made Le Drouant an essential part of Paris’s cultural life.
The Jury and Finalists
The ten jurors, chaired by Patrick Besson and including notable figures such as Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, Franz-Olivier Giesbert, and Dominique Bona, selected Adélaïde de Clermont-Tonnerre over four other finalists:
- Feurat Alani for Le ciel est immense (JC Lattès)
- Anne Berest for Finistère (Albin Michel)
- Justine Lévy for Une drôle de peine (Stock)
- Louis-Henri de La Rochefoucauld for L'amour moderne (Robert Laffont)
"Je voulais vivre offers a captivating reinterpretation of Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers."
This award highlights the revitalization of a neglected literary figure through a daring narrative approach.
Author’s summary: The 2025 Prix Renaudot honors Adélaïde de Clermont-Tonnerre’s novel, a fresh and bold retelling of Milady de Winter’s story, celebrated in the historic setting of Paris’s Drouant restaurant.