Even though his life is now devoted to literature, Jean-Baptiste Gendarme claims that he discovered reading rather late: “I only began to read for pleasure when I was 13 or 14 years old. My first literary memory is Boris Vian’s J’Irai Cracher sur Vos Tombes (I Shall Spit on Your Graves), and my first literary shocks were Céline’s Voyage au Bout de la Nuit (Journey to the End of Night) and Gide’s Les Faux-Monnayeurs (The Counterfeiters),” he adds.

At first attracted to the cinema, he tried his hand at writing screenplays, but after passing his baccalaureate exam and completing and a two-year university programme in cinema and audiovisual studies, he quickly understood that filmmaking “requires a lot of people and a lot of energy.” Jean-Baptiste preferred to write short stories and explore the publishing world by reading the correspondence of authors and the biographies of publishers. An internship at Editions Le Dilettante strengthened his sense of vocation and convinced him to launch a literary review, Décapage, which was targeted at an elite readership interested in contemporary French writers.

Working as a writer for a tour operator during the day, he indulged his passion for literature at night, editing Décapage or writing his own novels, including Chambre Sous Oxygène, released in 2005, and now Table Rase.

The "15 minutes plus tard" prize

Brainchild of Jean Baptiste Gendarme and the editorial team of literary review décapage, the “15 minutes plus tard” (Fifteen Minutes Later) prize is awarded 15 minutes after the Prix Goncourt. While the jury presents the Prix Goncourt to Littell at the Drouant, members of the "15 minutes plus tard” panel deliberate in the K1ze café opposite just 15 minutes later. The first edition of the prize was awarded after 12 rounds to Héléna Marienské for her novel, Rhésus (Éditions P.O.L.), winning by seven votes to one over David Bessis’ Ars Grammatica (Allia). Marienské received a magnum of Yellow Label brut champagne courtesy of Maison Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, presented in a Veuve Clicquot Ice Jacket. She will also spend a night in a room designed by French designer Christophe Pillet at the luxury hotel Sezz (6 Avenue Frémiet, Paris 16). What’’s more, Marienské will enjoy a meal at the K1ze cafe with someone of her choice. And to top it all off, she will receive a lifetime subscription to décapage. The 2006 jury, hand-picked by the décapage team, included Emmanuel Adely, David Foenkinos, Philippe Jaenada, Serge Joncour, Xabi Molia, Régis de Sá Moreira and Guillaume Tavard, along with members of the décapage team itself. With their vastly diverse perspectives on literature, identifying a novel that can unite the jury members remains the greatest challenge for the prize yet.

AGE: 27 I  PASSIONS: a true monomaniac – his entire life revolves around contemporary French literature. I  PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE: the competitive spirit. I  GOALS: in the long term, to become the literary director of a publishing house and write a column for Madame Figaro. I  FAVOURITE AUTHORS: Eric Neuhoff, Patrick Besson, David Foenkinos (2003 Writer grant winner), Philippe Jaenada, Emmanuel Carrère, Serge Joncour, Christian Oster, Philip Roth and les Hussards.