Death of Benoît Duteurtre
We are saddened to learn of the death of writer, music and literary critic, and radio host Benoît Duteurtre, at the age of 64.
At Les Deux Magots, we knew him as a member of the jury for two literary prizes awarded within our company: the Prix Pelléas – Radio Classique and the Prix des Deux Magots. Alongside jury president Alain Duault, he was a pillar of the jury for the Prix Pelléas, which since 1997 has rewarded “the work on music with the finest literary qualities” . More recently, he became a “young” member of the jury for the Prix des Deux Magots, bringing his literary convictions to bear on the debates since 2022 and the 89th edition of the prize.
A native of Normandy and great-grandson of French President René Coty, this erudite man happily navigated between his two immense passions: literature and classical music.
Having been idolized in his youth by Samuel Beckett, to whom he had the audacity to send his first texts, he launched his writing career with the publication of Sommeil perdu in 1985. He tried his hand at a wide range of literary genres: the novel, of course, the essay, the short story (for which he won the 1997 Prix de la nouvelle de l’Académie française for Drôle de temps), with an equal fondness for the narration of personal memories. His literary career was crowned by the award of the Prix Médicis in 2001 for his novel Le Voyage en France, which recounts the discovery of France by a young Francophile American.
His passion for music was immense and fertile too. A piano player since his youth, he was particularly attracted to contemporary classical music and became an esteemed musicologist. In the world of music, he wrote works (operetta and musical comedy), essays and reviews for various newspapers and magazines, including Classica. He was best known to classical music lovers as producer and host of the radio program Étonnez-moi Benoît, broadcast every Saturday on France Musique since 1999.
Our condolences go out to his family and friends.
Photo: Benoît Duteurtre at the Prix des Deux Magots 2023 award ceremony. Say Who – Ayka Lux