“Tuesday, I had a weight on my shoulders.” The expression is to be taken literally and figuratively, for the marathon day experienced on December 17, 2024 by Sébastien, an inmate of the Brest remand center, embarked on a completely unprecedented day of leave.
When he set foot at Montparnasse station at 9 a.m., the man was actually carrying the load of a package of novels to be signed by their authors, under the auspices of the National Book Center (CNL). But above all the weight of carrying the voice of Brest prisoners, launched for three months in the Goncourt adventure of prisoners. And even that of six establishments of the Interregional Prison Directorate of Rennes, at the time of the final choice and the presentation of the prize, given to Sandrine Collette for “Madelaine avant l’aube”.
“Discuss in a form of normality”
For the third consecutive year, the Brest remand center participated in this competition launched in 2022 by the CNL under the patronage of the Goncourt academy. This is how every Thursday afternoon, eleven prisoners, including four women, met to discuss literature. Unimaginable, a few months ago, for some.
“This group is diversity in its total expression: there are not the same cultures, horizons, reading levels and even mother tongues. And yet, it is a place where everyone has found their place, with a lot of respect,” congratulates teacher Myriam Schwab, who supervised the workshops.
Over the weeks, the Thursday meeting naturally established itself as a “moment of escape, to forget the prison world”, in the words of the participants. Not just a godsend for leaving the cramped conditions of 9 m2 cells for a few moments. But the opportunity to “find a mix, talk and debate quietly, far from codes, formal things. In a form of normality.” “The topics of discussion in detention are often very down to earth. Being able to talk about novels is something else all the same! », notes Franck
The group of Brest prisoners are among the very first readers in France to touch the bookmarks in the colors of the prisoners' Goncourt. (Photo Le Télégramme/Pierre Chapin)
“This book pushes me to change”
Here, everyone has their favorite work, and it doesn't matter who wins in the end. Tristan
was particularly touched by “The Lost Children’s Club” by Rebecca Lighiori. “It speaks to me, for my past and my future. In this book, we have the point of view of a father and his daughter. I'm going to be a dad soon and in the daughter, I see myself when I was a teenager: I understand better what my parents went through… It made me think a lot. And that pushes me to change.”
The emotion of the youngest member of the group was conveyed to the author. To the point that he received a few personalized dedication lines, and Sébastien returned from Paris with the writer's phone number: “You can call her when you're out,” he slips, Thursday morning, time to recount his journey.
Maylis from Kerangal promised to return
One story among others of this adventure carried by books, which will not end with the closing of the competition and the awarding of the prize. Maylis de Karangal, who came to Brest a few weeks ago to present her novel to the group, has committed to returning next spring to participate in future writing workshops.
And if the Brest remand center is not selected to participate in the next edition of the competition, next year, what does it matter, according to Myriam Schwab. “In three years, we have established contacts with the Dialogues bookstore, publishers, associations, etc. So we will try to manage to recover the books in selection, to continue, even if we were no longer officially involved.”These first names have been changed.
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