Pauline Peyrade's 'Les Habitantes' Wins Prix du Livre Inter 2026

Pauline Peyrade's novel 'Les Habitantes' has won the Prix du Livre Inter 2026. Published by Les Éditions de Minuit, the book tells the story of Émilie, a woman living alone with her dog Loyse in the house inherited from her grandmother Moon. Faced with letters demanding the sale of the property due to co-ownership, Émilie confronts systemic violence rooted in patriarchy and capitalism. Peyrade, who trained as a playwright and won the Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman in 2023 for 'L'Âge de détruire', spent three years writing this novel. She deliberately avoided making ecology the central theme, instead embedding it as a mode of writing that evokes the natural world through sensory details—the rustling of leaves, the flight of insects, light on the pond. The narrative focuses not on familial conflict but on an alternative relationship to the world. The musical programming for the broadcast featured Étienne Daho and Alan Stivell's 'An hanv', a tribute to Frank Darcel of Marquis de Sade, who died in 2024.