Quignard wins Goncourt prize

Pascal Quignard won the Goncourt prize, France’s top literary award, on Monday for a collection of aphorisms, memories and reflections on the past.

“Les Ombres Errantes” (The Wandering Shadows) is the first book in Quignard’s three-volume series of literary fragments, “Dernier Royaume” (Last Kingdom).

The author has compared his collection to the whirlwind of thoughts he had as a child when he couldn’t sleep. He said he didn’t expect to win because his book cannot be easily defined.

The Goncourt was first awarded in 1903. Past winners include Marcel Proust, Simone de Beauvoir and Andre Malraux.