The writing competition, La Plume lycéenne, offered to Breton high school students as part of the Prix Goncourt des lycéens, was organized by the Bruit de Lire association, in partnership with the Rennes Academy and the Region. At the Dupuy de Lôme high school, in Lorient, three teachers, Mesdames Hemon, Lambrechts and Péresse, presented the applications of their 1ère students, humanity, literature and philosophy option.
The idea was to write a text inspired by the Goncourt selection. 39 Breton high schools participated, and out of 620 texts collected, only eight received awards. The Dupuy de Lôme high school can therefore be proud of three prizes: Gabrielle Pete is 2nd; Emma Briard, 4th; and Pauline Aldaya, 8th.
“I was already writing poems when I was little”
The prizes were awarded during the national Goncourt des Lycéens meetings in Rennes just before Christmas, a gift that they will remember for a long time. The Region also offered them volume 1 of the prestigious Pléiade collection. “It was the evening of the baccalaureate,” remembers Pauline, “we were very tired, and suddenly the news came: we were stunned! So many emotions on the same day. My text, “Remorse of an eagle for its chick”, was inspired by a dark story, an unusual reading for me but the psychology of the heroine inspired me and I wrote a pantoum style poem with covers of particular verses. In fact, I was already writing poems when I was little. And I love reading. I must have finished almost 20 novels over the Christmas holidays! »
“I always liked playing with figures of speech”
For Emma, writing also goes back to childhood. “I have always liked playing with figures of speech,” she explains, “and transposing emotions. For the competition, I chose the letter format, I am addressing Emile Coué, the character in the novel because the challenges to his method are very interesting. At the Meetings, the writer came to congratulate me, it freed me from stage fright! »
Gabrielle had chosen a difficult story, “Houris”. “I read every evening,” she declares, “I need the music of words. And this competition was an incredible experience! »
Practical
References from the books chosen by the winners as the basis for their creations: “The Club of Lost Children”, by Rebecca Lighieri; “The Better Life”, by Étienne Kern; and “Houris”, by Kamel Daoud.
