The grand prix de la Critique littéraire was created in 1948 by Robert André.
It is awarded each year by the French PEN club to a literary essay.
Chaired by Joël Schmidt [fr], its jury is now made up of Jean Blot, Jean-Luc Despax, Jean-Claude Lamy, Daniel Leuwers, Jean Orizet [fr], Laurence Paton (general secretary), Antoine Spire and Patrick Tudoret [fr].
Since its creation, it has rewarded many leading authors and intends to promote a literary criticism of quality and, quite simply, literature.