[1] In 2002 his novel Les Ombres errantes (The Roving Shadows) won the Prix Goncourt, France's top literary prize.

Among Quignard's most commented-upon works are his eighty-four "Little Treatises" (Petits traités), first published in 1990 by Maeght.

But his most popular book is probably All the World's Mornings (Tous les matins du monde), about 17th-century viola de gamba player Marin Marais and his teacher, Sainte-Colombe, which was adapted for the screen in 1991, by director Alain Corneau.

The soundtrack was certified platinum (500,000 copies) and contributed to musician Jordi Savall’s international celebrity.

Quignard has also translated works from the Latin (Porcius Latro), Chinese (Kong-souen Long), and Greek (Lycophron).