Only in France

Au prix Goncourt
Originally uploaded by she_who_must

We pulled in beside the Meuse, in the little town of Goncourt. The river was by now broad and slow-moving, and the sun glinted on the smooth water. On the far bank, there were cows in the field. We got out to stretch our legs, and to see what was to be seen - this was, after all, the family home of the Goncourt brothers, diarists of the literary world of nineteenth century Paris - and who founded the prize which is named after them, France's most important literary prize. Not that we expected to see any sign of that, and we were admiring the decorative woodwork of the old houses when - a charming tribute, to name the local shop after a literary prize. Only in France...

Since the importance of literary prizes in Britain seems to be measured largely by their cash value, it's probably worth recording that the Goncourt currently stands at 10 euros. But it does wonders for the winner's sales.