Alexis Jenni's 'L'art français de la guerre' Wins Prix Goncourt

Alexis Jenni's debut novel 'L'art français de la guerre' has been awarded the Prix Goncourt. The novel, published by Gallimard, explores the fraught relationship between France and its military through a dual narrative structure. The story follows a narrator who, after losing his job and returning to Lyon, meets Victorien Salagnon, a former soldier and painter. Salagnon teaches him to paint while recounting his experiences in the French army from 1943 through Indochina and Algeria, a period Jenni calls the 'twenty-year war.' The novel interweaves 'Commentaries' on contemporary French society with 'Roman' sections detailing Salagnon's military past. Jenni addresses themes of national identity, collective memory, and the lingering effects of colonial wars. The book's title references classic military strategists like Sun Tzu and Clausewitz, but questions France's modern military glory. The narrative begins with the 1991 Gulf War departure of spahis from Valence, highlighting the public's unfamiliarity with soldiers. Jenni's polyphonic style combines analysis and storytelling, confronting historical silences about France's colonial conflicts.