The Hindu : International : "Corruption in French literary world"

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Wednesday, Jun 29, 2005

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International

"Corruption in French literary world"

Jon Henley

PARIS: The Paris literary scene was shaken on Monday when the Government's anti-corruption watchdog warned that France's most prestigious book prizes were wide open to corruption. In its 2004 report, the SCPA, part of the Justice Ministry, said it was ``difficult to distinguish between jury members, who are generally the authors of literary works, and the houses which publish their books. There is a risk that fair competition rules may be being broken.'' The report, seen by Le Parisien newspaper, continued: ``There is an evident risk of a conflict of interest. Moreover, the conditions in which the jury members are recruited, often for life, are not exactly transparent, which makes them suspect.'' France's major literary awards such as the Prix Femina, the Prix Medicis and — most prestigious of all — the Prix Goncourt have long been accused of rigging their votes, taking it in turns to reward big publishers. ``When you realise the millions of euros that a good Goncourt winner can generate for its publisher, you start to see the immorality of the whole thing,'' said a series editor for a small publishing house outside Paris who asked not to be named. ``French publishing, and particularly the whole prize charade, is all about mutual back-scratching. It's scandalous, and if it gets cleaned up that can only be a good thing.'' —

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