Kamel Daoud, 2024 Goncourt Prize at the Book Fair: “large masses like Brive reassure us about our profession”

This Saturday, November 9, was another big day for the organizers of the Brive book fair. In the Georges Brassens hall, readers gathered in search of autographs from their favorite authors. Many stands had a compact crowd: those of Douglas Kennedy, Melissa da Costa or Alex Vizorek, for example, but obviously, those of the literary prizes coming to Brive. Gaël Faye, Renaudot prize, or even Miguel Bonnefoy grand prize of the Académie Française.

But the one towards whom all eyes and pens were turned is the recent Goncourt 2024 Kamel Daoud prize. Honored for his novel “Houris”, a work which focuses on the massacres of the “black decade” in Algeriahe signed a lot of books this Saturday. “My hand hurts with so many signatures” smiles the novelist while taking advantage of a well-deserved lunch break. The Franco-Algerian says he is impressed by the Brive book fair.

“It’s crazy! Somewhere it somewhat repairs the legitimate idea that the book industry is doing badly, that we lack readers and that social networks are eroding our democracies a little. An event like this, a large mass, reassures us about the profession, the editorial, the booksellers, the readers too! It’s a big reader’s party here! It’s the first time I’ve come to Brive, I didn’t know, I had been told about it, but I didn’t know that the meeting would be so impressive!”

Kamel Daoud who ends his remarks with an apostrophe: “Countries where people read, access books, without censorship, these are countries to be protected. Hopefully this kind of celebrations multiply, multiply everywhere!”