The jury of the Médicis Prize unveiled its second selection on Thursday, October 15, 2026. 7 French and 9 foreign novels remain in competition, while 12 essays have been added. Among the authors is Barbara Métais-Chastanier, a lecturer in literature at the INU Champollion, for her book "Elles ne mouraient pas toutes" (La Découverte).
The essay "Elles ne mouraient pas toutes" proposes a new definition of femicide, extending the concept beyond the killing of a woman because she is a woman. It introduces the notion of femicide by vicariance, where the death of a loved one is intended to destroy the targeted woman. The work highlights that the victims of these crimes are predominantly men, victims of a patriarchal crime.
The book provides tools to analyze these deaths as effects of a patriarchal social order, rather than private tragedies. It emphasizes the need to recognize and prevent these acts, drawing on Argentine and Spanish statistics.
The prize winners will be announced on November 2, the day before the Goncourt Prize announcement. The Médicis Prize, established in 1958, recognizes original literary works.
