The Pyrenees Book Fair celebrated its 15th anniversary on October 5 and 6, 2024. The opportunity for this unmissable event in the Hautes-Pyrénées to award its traditional “Pyrenees Book Prize. » For all reading lovers, this is the opportunity to discover these award-winning works.
Bagnères-de-Bigorre is not just a sub-prefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées department surrounded by mountains and greenery. For 15 years it has also been the meeting point for all adaptations of literary works which echo the Pyrenees and its cultures.
On October 5 and 6, 2024, the Pyrenees Book Fair blew out an additional candle while aiming to rejuvenate itself. Above all, this new stage in the history of this unmissable cultural event for Pyrenean literature aims to reward works which revolve around a non-exclusive common thread: Women in the Pyrenees.
A theme as vast as it is rich that Binaros wanted to highlight to promote the ‘singular status’ of Pyrenean women and their place in the history of the mountain range. Thus, the event supported by the hundred members of the Binaros association makes it possible to promote reading among adults and children of course, but not only that: the show is also an opportunity to discover shows, meetings and movies.
This year, of the 74 titles received by the jury, only four won a prize in each of the four categories of the competition: Knowledge, literature, guide and Binaros. Beyond the jury’s recognition for their work and their media exposure, the authors also won 750 euros to support their creations.
The Pyrenean Book Awards 2024
· In the “knowledge” category intended for books which constitute a significant contribution to the promotion or knowledge of the Pyrenean worlds or their aspects, the prize was won by “Thermal Heritage. From glory to peril. » A work written under the direction of Viviane Delpech (University Presses of Pau and Pays de l’Adour) which attempts to raise awareness of thermal heritage “to collectively seek the means of its contemporary preservation. »
· In the “guide” category dedicated to works allowing you to discover the Pyrenean realities in practice without a specific domain, the book “Spinning natural fibers. Hemp, wool, nettle… ”, by Camille Brabant and Naomi Rossignol (Ulmer) was highlighted. Through its pages, the reader is invited to use materials at hand to create threads. His illustrations won over the jury.
· The “literature” category allowed us to discover the book “Pastorales” by Violaine Berot, Florence Debove and Jean-Christophe Cavallin (Wildproject). This story traces the daily life of essential women on summer holidays in the Pyrenean valleys. The development of these women takes place in a climatic context that every Pyrenean knows is increasingly worrying.
· The “Binaros” category aims to highlight an original work dealing with the Pyrenees, a work which therefore goes off the beaten track. This year, “Of Borders and Women” by Manuela Parra (Star Honeysuckle) won. This book discusses immigration and those who come from it. A collection of testimonies praised by the jury, who directly thanked the author for a courageous work.
