PARIS -- Andre Makin, a political refugee from the former Soviet Union, on Monday won the Goncourt prize, France's most prestigious literary award, for a semi-autobiographical novel about growing up in Russia.


The Goncourt earns the winner a mere 50 francs ($10) but guarantees fame and fortune for both author and publisher. Most prize-winning novels become best sellers overnight.


"Le Testament Francais" (The French Testament), published by Mercure de France, recalls the tales about France, a quasi-mythical and faraway haven of freedom and ideas, which Makin heard from his grandmother. In the novel, the narrator eventually leaves Russia to start a new life in France.


Sipping champagne at the famed Cafe Flore on the Left Bank, Makin, 38, paid tribute to the late Simone Gallimard, who as chief editor at Mercure de France, was the first French publisher to recognize his talent.


"She called me on the phone to say the manuscript was accepted, and then said that there was a grammatical mistake on page 202," he told France 2 television.


The bearded and bespectacled Makin admitted he had first tried to pass off his earlier novels as having been translated from the Russian when, in fact, he had penned them directly in French. "I was afraid no one would take me seriously," he said in perfect, though accented French.


"The French Testament" is his fourth novel.