A RUSSIAN-BORN WRITER WINS PRIX GONCOURT.

Andrei Makine became the hero of the French literary season yesterday, winning the 92-year-old Goncourt prize for his autobiographical novel "Le Testament Francais. " The novel tells of Makine’s experience as a boy whose grandmother, Charlotte, was born into a well-to-do family in the fashionable Paris suburb of Neuilly and ended up in a small town in Soviet Central Asia. Her grandsons are brought up as Soviet children, but learn a sense of French culture from their grandmother. (16)

This is an almost incredible feat for someone who has lived in France only eight years. The Prix Goncourt is formally worth just 50 francs ($10). It can boost sales by up to half a million copies, however. The winning book enjoys wide publicity and distribution and becomes a traditional Christmas gift in many French families.

Tatars End Protest Fast.