The André Malraux Prize 2026 has announced its shortlists, with ten works of fiction and six art essays now in the running. The jury will meet on Thursday, September 3, to select the winners, who will be revealed on November 3—André Malraux's birthday. Established in 2018 by Alexandre Duval-Stalla, the prize honors one work of fiction and one art essay annually, with each recipient receiving 1933 euros. This amount references the year 1933, when André Malraux’s novel Human Condition won the prestigious Goncourt Prize. This year’s selection takes place amid significant historical context: 2026 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Malraux’s death, which occurred on November 23, 1976. The French Ministry of Culture has designated this year for special commemoration, with over 130 events and projects planned in France and internationally to honor Malraux’s legacy as a writer, resistance fighter, art theorist, and former minister. In the category of engaged fiction that serves the human condition, the following books have been selected: Houaria, by Inam Bioud, translated from Arabic by Lotfi Nia (Philippe Rey); The Method, by David Djaïz (Stock); Joseph in the Night, by Olivier Grondeau (L'Iconoclaste); Hyperkarma, by Nicolas Idier (Stock); Septentrionale, by Karim Kattan (Elyzad); García Lorca and the Burmese Poet, by Nour Malowé (Récamier); The Redemption, by Jean-Noël Orengo (Grasset); That or Die, by Thélyson Orélien (Grasset); Saint-Soleil, by Luce Perez-Tejedor (Seuil); and Except the Border, by Elisa Shua Dusapin (Zoé). In the art essay category, the shortlisted works include: Living Museums, by Donatien Grau (Les Belles Lettres); Death, but Like in Painting. 50 Works to Think About the Final Moment, by Jean Galard (Le Passage); The Art Tribunal. Philip Guston and American Antifascism, by Christian Joschke (Gallimard); A Diamond Among Rubble, by Luz (Stock); Raw Life, by Joy Sorman (Flammarion); and Museum Life, by Margit Rowell, translated and postscripted by Didier Semin (L'Atelier contemporain). The 2026 jury includes notable figures such as Cécile Guilbert, Céline Malraux, Diana Widmaier Picasso, and Alexandre Duval-Stalla, who presides over the selection. In 2025, the prize was awarded to Volia, by Anastasia Fomitchova (Grasset), in the engaged fiction category, and Dare to be Naked, by Camille Morineau (Flammarion), in the art essay category. A special jury prize also went to The Musicians and Power in France, from Lully to Boulez, by Maryvonne de Saint Pulgent (Gallimard). The inclusion of Saint-Soleil in the shortlist is especially meaningful for this year’s commemoration: Luce Perez-Tejedor’s novel revisits Malraux’s encounter with the Saint-Soleil painters in Haiti in 1975. The shortlisted works for the 2026 Literary Season will be detailed in The Literary Prize Selections of the 2026 Literary Season: From Selections to Winners, published by Dépêche. The books on the shortlist include various publication dates and prices, ranging from 19.00 to 30.00 euros, with page counts varying from 160 to 414 pages.