Kamel Daoud’s book “Houris” rewarded

LITERATURE – Who to succeed Jean-Baptiste Andrea and his latest book, Watch over her ? This Monday, November 4, the members of the Académie du Goncourt decided. It is Kamel Daoud who wins this year the most prestigious French literary awards for his novel Hourisas the ten jurors have just announced live from Le Drouant, in Paris.

Kamel Daoud thus won in the first round of voting against his three competitors: Gaël Faye (JacarandaGrasset), Hélène Gaudy (ArchipelagosL’Olivier) and Sandrine Collette (Madelaine before dawnJC Lattès).

This Goncourt is the first awarded under the presidency of Philippe Claudel. Elected to this position in May, the writer said he wanted “ to be a Democratic president, of whom the jurors can be proud.”

He had made it clear that he would do everything possible to ensure that the Academy did not repeat the scenario of 2022 and 2023, namely fourteen rounds of voting, the maximum planned, due to a persistent tie with five votes to five. Two editions attributed respectively to Brigitte Giraud with Live fastand Jean-Baptiste Andrea with Watch over her.

Marguerite Duras, 40 years later

Beyond the pride of adding your name to the list, the price is an economic issue. He is rewarded with a check for ten euros, which the winners traditionally choose to frame. But above all, it makes it possible to sell hundreds of thousands of copies of a book that many readers will be curious to discover or offer, and it opens the way to numerous translations throughout the world.

The reward awarded to Kamel Daoud was given exactly forty years after the coronation of The Lover by Marguerite Duras, known as the best-selling Goncourt since the creation of the prize in 1903.

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