Lilia Hassaine reworks Jane Eyre for the Goncourt race
The French novelist's new book, "Je," is in contention for this year's Prix Goncourt and takes Charlotte Brontë's heroine as its starting point.
Lilia Hassaine's novel "Je" is among the titles in contention for the 2026 Prix Goncourt, according to France Culture. The book revisits the world of Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" and continues a line of inquiry into power and the condition of women that Hassaine has pursued across her three previous novels, the broadcaster reports.
Speaking to France Culture on its programme "Les Midis de culture," Hassaine explained what drew her back to a nineteenth-century figure. "Je trouve dramatique de pouvoir me reconnaître encore dans une femme du XIXe siècle," she said — that she still finds it troubling to recognize herself in a woman from the 1800s.
No further detail on the novel's plot, length or publisher was given in the source material, nor was a date set for the announcement of this year's Goncourt selections.
Sources
This article was written from these reports.
