Mal d’amour
One of 90 copies on vélin pur fil (no. 70).
Signed presentation inscription: “À Charles Tisserand, avec toute ma vieille et sincère amitié, Jean Fayard.”
A journalist and novelist, Jean Fayard (1902–1978) was awarded the Prix Goncourt for this psychological novel devoted to the romantic disillusionment of Parisian youth. The award proved controversial: Fayard was the son of the publisher Arthème Fayard, and many suspected favoritism behind the novel’s success. It remained his only Goncourt, a fleeting but symbolic honor for a publishing house better known for popular fiction, which at the time was enjoying great success with the early publications of a young Belgian novelist, Georges Simenon.
On 14 December 1931, the prize was awarded to Fayard by seven votes to three. Many observers had expected the award to go to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry for Vol de nuit (Night Flight), which instead won the Prix Femina.
From the “Prix Goncourt” library of Gérard Pouguet, with bookplate.