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Femina Vie Heureuse Prize, English Committee (1914-1940)

 Organization

Biography

In 1904 Hachette, publishers of the magazines Femina and La Vie Heureuse, established an annual prize for a French novel. From 1919 a prize was also awarded for an English work 'calculated to reveal to French readers the true spirit and character of England'. An English committee discussed books suggested by members and shortlisted three; a French committee chose the winner. From 1920 a prize was given for a French work chosen by the English committee from a list made by the French. The last prizes were awarded in 1939. The English Committee included Rebecca West, Rosamond Lehmann, Kate O'Brien, and Clemence Dane; the secretary was Winifred S. Whale until 1939, then Margaret Harris. The secretary of the French committee was Mme C. Reymond de Broutelles.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

 Fonds

'Femina Vie Heureuse Prize', English Committee: Minutes and Papers

 Fonds
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.8900
Scope and Contents Minutes, accounts, lists of books recommended and considered, letters from English and French committee members and prizewinners, and newscuttings. Letters from prizewinners: Percy Lubbock, Mary Webb (6), Radclyffe Hall, Virginia Woolf, H.M. Tomlinson, Charles Morgan (7), Stella Gibbons/Webb (4), Elizabeth Jenkins (2), L.H. Myers (2), Margaret Lane, Richard Church (2), and Robert Graves. Letters from French prizewinners: Joseph Kessel, François Mauriac, Marion Gilbert (2), étienne Burnet...
Dates: 1919-1940 (Circa)
Conditions Governing Access: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).