Small Boat

Vincent Delecroix (born November 26, 1969, in Paris) is a prominent French philosopher and novelist whose work often bridges the gap between academic rigor and literary exploration.

He is widely regarded as a specialist on the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, a focus that heavily influences both his philosophical essays and his fiction.

Academic Background and Philosophy

Delecroix is a graduate of the prestigious École Normale Supérieure and is an agrégé in philosophy. He currently serves as the Director of Studies in the Philosophy of Religion at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) in Paris.

His philosophical inquiries often center on:

• Existential acts: Exploring themes of love, grief, and the sacred.

• The “Banality of Evil”: A concept he often revisits through a contemporary lens.

• Irony and Religious Thought: Particularly through his studies of Kierkegaard.

Literary Career and Key Works

While highly respected in academia, Delecroix gained international literary recognition for his ability to translate complex moral dilemmas into fiction.

• Small Boat (original French title: Naufrage): His most internationally acclaimed novel, it was longlisted for the 2023 Prix Goncourt and shortlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize. The story follows a radio operator during a real-life migrant boat tragedy in the English Channel, exploring themes of bureaucratic indifference and individual responsibility.

• Tombeau d’Achille: Awarded the Grand prix de littérature de l’Académie française in 2008.

• Ce qui est perdu: A novel that received the Prix Valéry-Larbaud in 2007.

• La chaussure sur le toit: A collection of ten interconnected short stories based on a single image: a shoe on a Parisian roof.

Honors and Style

Delecroix’s writing is noted for its “philosophical intensity” and its focus on the vulnerability of the human condition. For his contributions to French culture, he has been appointed as:

• Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2007)

• Chevalier of the Ordre National du Mérite (2023)

His work often captures the intersection of the mundane and the profound, making him a unique voice in contemporary French literature who refuses to separate the life of the mind from the lived experience.