Prix Fitzgerald 14th edition

June 14th, 2025

Renowned American author Richard Ford receives the 14th annual literary prize for Le Paradis des fous.

Created in 2011 by Marianne Estène-Chauvin, President of the Francis Scott Fitzgerald Academy and owner of Groupe Belles Rives, the Fitzgerald Prize annually recognizes a work of fiction that embodies the spirit, elegance and art of living associated with the American literary icon F. Scott Fitzgerald.

This year's edition takes on a special significance, marking the centenary of the publication of Gatsby the Magnificent as well as Fitzgerald's first stay in Juan-les-Pins in 1925, when he settled with Zelda at the Villa Saint-Louis - now the Hôtel Belles Rives. It was here, facing the blue immensity of Cap d'Antibes, that Fitzgerald worked on Tendre est la nuit and that the myth of the Riviera as a playground for writers, artists and exiles began to crystallize.

The novel Be Mine, which brings his iconic character Frank Bascombe to life, was praised for its reflection on old age, caregiving and parenthood in contemporary America, told with Ford's characteristic clarity, wit and empathy. The jury praised the work for its ability to capture the existential tensions of modern life with a depth and tone that echo Fitzgerald's legacy.

"My gratitude to the Fitzgerald Prize jury for their confidence - not just in my book, but in books in general. We are all carried on the shoulders of geniuses - and being here today at the Hotel Belles Rives, in the year we celebrate the centenary of Gatsby the Magnificent, makes me believe that it's all possible."

The Fitzgerald Award ceremony was held on the terrace overlooking the romantic, rocky peninsula, with its white jetty facing the nearby islands, bathed in the “green light” that inspired Fitzgerald's most famous novel. The festivities ended with a Riviera-style dinner on the legendary terraces of this historic venue.