Today, the American Library in Paris announced the winner of their 2026 Book Award, which “celebrates works of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, that draw on France as a timeless source of inspiration.” This year’s winner is Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska. Fittingly, the ceremony was held at the hotel at the center of the winning book: the Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris.
“The book is a tremendous piece of original research but scholarship never gets in the way of the human story: a story set in a real place, with real people shaped by the weight of history, demonstrating the courage of human belief in the enduring principle of goodness during the darkest days of adversity, and the resilience of the human spirit,” said the jury, which is composed of last year’s winner Sue Prideaux, Molly Ringwald, and Dan Jones, in a statement. “We are very proud to have been given the opportunity to honor this wonderful book.”
Rogoyska received a $5,000 prize, and one of two specially commissioned, hand-bound editions of Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War, created by Parisian artisans at the atelier Bourgogne Reliure. The second copy will be added to the American Library’s Special Collections.