Vincent Delecroix

Born in Paris, Vincent Delecroix is a French philosopher and writer

A graduate from the École normale supérieure, and agrégé of philosophy, he teaches at the École Pratique des Hautes Études.

Delecroix received the Prix Valery Larbaud in 2007 for his novel Ce qui est perdu (published in 2006) and the Grand prix de littérature de l’Académie française after he published Tombeau d’Achille (in 2008). Small Boat was on the longlist of the 2023 Prix Goncourt and was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025. It is the first of his novels to be translated into English.

A gut-punch of a novel that asks: could we all do better?

— The 2025 judges on Small Boat

Read more on Vincent Delecroix

An extract from Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated by Helen Stevenson

November 2021: an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants from France to the UK capsizes in the Channel, causing the deaths of 27 people on board. How and why did it happen?

Image of Small Boat, author and translator

An interview with Vincent Delecroix and Helen Stevenson, author and translator of Small Boat

With Small Boat shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025, we spoke to its author and translator about suspending moral judgement, and the books that inspired their careers

Reading guide: Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated by Helen Stevenson

Whether you’re new to Small Boat or have read it and would like to explore it more deeply, here is our comprehensive guide, featuring insights from critics and the book’s author and translator, as well as discussion points and suggestions for further reading.

All nominated books

Small Boat

November 2021: an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants from France to the UK capsizes in the Channel, causing the deaths of 27 people on board. How and why did it happen?