French writer and historian Dominique Manotti has won the 2026 Raymond Chandler Award, a career honour for a leading figure in noir fiction. The award was founded in 1986 by Irene Bignardi.
Manotti, the pen name of Marie-Noëlle Thibault, was born in Paris in 1942. She worked as a trade unionist in the 1960s and 1970s before teaching contemporary economic history at Paris VIII University and the Sorbonne. Her research focused on 19th-century economics and the development of capitalism.
She began writing noir in 1995, describing the decision as one made “not out of vocation but out of desperation.” Her fiction grew from her social engagement and critical interest in power, financial economics and globalization. Critics have called her “the most American of French writers.”
The award ceremony is scheduled for December 1 at 3:30 p.m. at Milan’s IULM University, with rector Valentina Garavaglia and Luciana Castellina expected to attend. At 6 p.m. that day, Manotti will present her latest novel, Racket, published by SEM in October 2026, at Rizzoli Milano, in conversation with Carlo Lucarelli.
On December 2 at 6 p.m., the Institut Français in Milan will honour Manotti with a screening of Une affaire d’État, Éric Valet’s 2009 film based on her novel Nos fantastiques années fric, published in Italian as Le mani su Parigi. The screening is being organised with the Noir in Festival.
Manotti’s debut novel, Sombre Sentier, introduced police commissioner Daquin. It was published in Italy in 2002 as Il sentiero della speranza. Her later books include Oro nero (2015) and Marsiglia ’73 (2022), both published in Italy by Sellerio. Manotti has cited James Ellroy’s dark novels as an influence and has described historical research and police investigation as similar processes, each building a story from clues.
The Noir in Festival, directed by Marina Fabbri, is due to take place in Milan from November 30 to December 5, 2026.
Sources: ANSA Cultura. ANSA Cultura.