Dieu est né en exil

Prix Goncourt 1960. This novel, presented as the fictional diary of Ovid during his years of exile at Tomis, on the shores of the Black Sea, caused a sensation before becoming a scandal. In an ample and meditative style, Vintila Horia explores the condition of the exile, condemned to endless banishment, yet finding in the ordeal a spiritual path: “God was born in exile.” Praised for its literary beauty, the book seemed to inaugurate a major career, and was awarded the prize on Monday, 28 November 1960, ahead of Henri Thomas and Albert Simonin. It was Pierre Desgraupes who announced the news to the winner, who had been waiting with Thomas for the results in the restaurant across the street.

But triumph quickly turned to controversy: the press revealed that the author, a Romanian émigré, had once belonged to the fascist Iron Guard regime. The shock was immense: under the pressure of the polemic, Horia officially renounced the prize, although he was never formally stripped of it by the Académie. “I renounce the prize, out of love for France and respect for the Académie Goncourt.” This case remains unique in the history of the prize.

A nominative copy presented to Armand Salacrou, one of the ten members of the Goncourt jury. This deluxe issue, printed on the very day of the announcement, is exceptionally rare and illustrates one of the most controversial episodes in the history of the Prix Goncourt, in which literary glory turned into political scandal.