The prix Breizh is a French literary award bestowed under this name since 2001, on the initiative of Gwenn-Aël Bolloré. On that date, it succeeded the "Prix Bretagne" created in 1961. It crowns each year an author of Breton origin or friend of Brittany.
The prix Breizh-prix Bretagne was founded in 1961 by Bretons of Paris, around Pascal Pondaven and Charles Le Quintrec, director and editor-in-chief of the weekly La Bretagne à Paris.[1]
The Prix Bretagne, now under the patronage of Vincent Bolloré,[2] celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011. On this occasion, a monograph Prix Bretagne Prix Breizh 50 ans traced its history (list of laureates from 1961 to 2010, texts of the 12 members of the jury).[3]
The spirit that presides over the awarding of the Prix Bretagne could be summed up by the introduction to his thanks by Kenneth White, the 2006 winner:
"I must also say at once that I attach great importance to this prize. In awarding it, here at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, to an extravagant Scotsman of my species, a Frenchman of adoption, a European of wit, the jury of the Brittany Prize clearly shows in my eyes his intention to remove Brittany from all the confinements with which it has suffered, and to extricate Celtic culture from all the ignoble or malicious caricatures of which it has been the victim."
In 2013, the Prix Bretagne was awarded a sum of 6100 €.[4]
In its early days, the Prix Breizh-Prix Bretagne included writers such as Roger Nimier, Hervé Bazin, Paul Guimard, Henri Queffélec, Jean Marin.
Composition of the 2012 jury:
| Year | Author | Work | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Yves Le Scal | Le novice du 'Tamaris | Éditions André Bonne |
| 1962 | Louis Martin-Chauffier | for all his body of work | |
| 1963 | Georges Bordonove | Chien de feu | |
| 1964 | Pierre-Jakez Hélias | Maner Kuz (manoir secret) | |
| 1965 | Jean David | Assassin | |
| 1966 | La Vie quotidienne des paysans en Bretagne au XIX°siècle | ||
| 1967 | Xavier de Langlais | Le Roman du roi Arthur | Éditions Piazza |
| 1968 | Jean-Claude Andro | La Mer des Sargasses | Éditions Denoël |
| 1969 | Virgo et Argo | Éditions du Seuil | |
| 1970 | La Cellule | Plon | |
| 1971 | Jean-François Chiappe | Georges Cadoudal ou la liberté | |
| 1972 | Xavier Grall | La fête de nuit | |
| 1973 | Gérard Le Gouic | Poèmes de mon vivant | Telen Arvor |
| 1974 | Georges Perros | Papiers collés | |
| 1975 | Eugène Guillevic | "for all his work" | |
| 1976 | Jean Sulivan | Matinales | Gallimard |
| 1977 | Jean-Edern Hallier | Le premier qui dort réveille l'autre | |
| 1978 | Louis Guilloux | "for all his work and for Carnets" | Gallimard |
| 1979 | Maurice Le Lannou | Un Bleu de Bretagne | Hachette |
| 1980 | "for all his work" | ||
| 1981 | Alain Lemoigne | L'année de passage | La Table Ronde |
| 1982 | Cathy Stephan | L'Homme-privilège | La Table Ronde |
| 1983 | Bernard Simiot | Ces messieurs de Saint-Malo | |
| 1984 | Le brave général Cambronne | Éditions France-Empire | |
| 1985 | Antony Lhéritier | "for all his work" | |
| 1986 | "for all his work" | ||
| 1987 | Le Dieu noir | ||
| 1988 | Le Naufrageur | Gallimard | |
| 1989 | "for all his work" | ||
| 1990 | André Le Gal | Le Roi des chiens | |
| 1991 | Le géant de la mer | ||
| 1992 | Des croix sur la mer | Albin Michel | |
| 1993 | L'horizon des évènements | ||
| 1994 | Le Château de verre | Julliard | |
| 1995 | Margot Bruyère | L'Enfant d'outre-tombe | Aléas |
| 1996 | Not awarded | ||
| 1997 | Yann Apperry | Qui vive | |
| 1998 | Colette Vlérick | La fille du goémonier | |
| 1999 | Anne-Marie Castelain | Un été bigouden | Liv'édition |
| 2000 | Not awarded |
| Year | Author | Work | Publisher | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Marie Le Drian.[6] | La cabane d'Hippolyte | Julliard | |
| 2002 | Jean-Luc Coatalem | Je suis dans les mers du sud sur les traces de Gauguin | Grasset | |
| 2003 | Yann Queffélec | Boris après l'amour | ||
| 2004 | Michel Chaillou.[7] | 1945 | Éditions du Seuil | |
| 2005 | Charles Le Quintrec.[8] | pour l'ensemble de son œuvre | ||
| 2006 | Kenneth White.[9] | La maison des marées | Albin Michel | |
| 2007 | Jean-Paul Kauffmann.[10] | La maison du retour | ||
| 2008 | Stéphane Hoffmann.[11] | Des filles qui dansent | Albin Michel | |
| 2009 | Mona Ozouf.[12] | Composition française : retour sur une enfance bretonne | Gallimard | |
| 2010 | Marie Le Gall | La peine du menuisier | Éditions Phébus | |
| 2011 | Anthony Palou | Fruits et Légumes | Albin Michel | |
| 2012 | Claire Fourier | Les silences de la guerre | Éditions Dialogues | |
| 2013 | Olivier Adam.[13] | Les Lisières | ||
| 2014 | Irène Frain | Sorti de rien | Éditions du Seuil | |
| 2015 | Cédric Morgan.[14] | Une femme simple | Grasset | |
| 2016 | Lorraine Fouchet.[15] | Entre ciel et Lou |