The French Art of War
The French Art of War is a 2011 novel by French writer Alexis Jenni. It tells an adventure story about France’s military history in Indochina and Algeria and follows how these chapters shape the country’s sense of itself.
The book won France’s top literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, in 2011. It was published in English in March 2017 as The French Art of War, translated by Frank Wynne, by Atlantic Books.
Jenni, a high‑school biology teacher, wrote his third novel but the first to be published. He spent about five years on it and describes himself as a “Sunday writer.” The work is partly inspired by debates about French national identity sparked by President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government. Jenni wanted readers to think about identity without choosing a side.
Before the prize, the novel had sold more than 56,000 copies. Goncourt winners usually sell many more, often hundreds of thousands. Judge Tahar Ben Jelloun said literature can help us confront difficult parts of history better than political rhetoric. Journalist Jean Birnbaum praised the book for putting into words the feelings of Jenni’s generation and making honest discussion about France’s recent military past possible.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:18 (CET).