Six awards in total were awarded to Tunisian works written in Arabic and French and which appeared between 1er April of the previous year and March 31 of the current year. In this benchmark competition which is not attached to a particular literary genre, the jury, made up of professionals from different backgrounds, received 58 books in total: 37 in Arabic and 21 in French.
The 28e edition of the prestigious Comar d’Or literary awards took place on May 4, 2024 at the Municipal Theater of Tunis. This annual celebration has been launched since 1997 by the Mediterranean Insurance and Reinsurance Company Comar with the support of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. This year again, it continues its desire to highlight the dynamism of editorial production and is in line with the commitment of the founders to support the talents of emerging authors. Six awards in total were awarded to Tunisian works written in Arabic and French and which appeared between 1er April of the previous year and March 31 of the current year. In this benchmark competition which is not attached to a particular literary genre, the jury, made up of professionals from different backgrounds, received 58 books in total: 37 in Arabic and 21 in French. The evening was presented by Hamza Belloumi. It took place in a festive and friendly atmosphere, in the presence of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Moncef Boukthir, responsible for the management of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The Tej Association was also present through the Miss Tunisia 2024 who embody the image of the Tunisian woman, beautiful and cultured. The singer with a sublime voice Eya Daghnouj delivered an exceptional performance at the start of the evening. She particularly seduced the room with an overview of Tunisian musical heritage and covers of Om Kolthoum and other big names in oriental music. The award ceremony was officially inaugurated with a welcome speech from Slaheddine Ladjimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Comar Insurance. Mr. Ladjimi insisted on the importance of this unmissable meeting of novelists who have chosen to live their passion and whose creativity and love for writing are a Source of inspiration for younger generations. He continued by emphasizing that writers keep the flame of writing burning, and beyond that of imagination, to escape from everyday life while posing real social problems. He recalled that the ultimate reward is not the prize itself but above all the communion between the novelist and the reader. He also thanked the 58 participants for their invaluable contribution which enriches our cultural heritage as well as the publishers, “first talent scouts” and the members of the jury who gave their time and their expertise to evaluate the works and select the laureats. Subsequently, the president of the Organizing Committee of the Comar d’Or literary prizes, Mr. Lotfi Ben Haj Kacem, as well as the presidents of the juries in Arabic and French were keen to present a special tribute to the great writer Ali Becheur who left us on April 6. They recalled that he was the winner of three Comar d’Or awards in his exceptional career which began at the age of 50. This year’s 2024 edition rewarded the best work which stands out for its literary qualities and originality in the following categories:
The Comar d’Or grand prize worth 10,000 dinars was awarded to Azza Filali for her novel “Misunderstandings” and to Sahbi Karaani for her novel “Defeter El Jilani Weld’Hmed”. The Special Jury Prize was awarded to Wafa Ghorbel for her novel “Fleurir” and to Kalthoum Ayachi for “Hadra” in Arabic. The winners received the sum of 5,000 dinars each. Finally, in order to identify young beginning authors with promising talent, the winning works designated for the Discovery Prize are “Pour que il faire plus beau” by Atef Gadhouni and “Arch el mejanine” in Arabic by Chaker Nacef. The reward is in the amount of 2,500 dinars. After the speeches and the emotion of the winners, the evening concluded with a concert by Mahdi Ayache in the hall, in parallel with a signing session and discussion with the writers in the main hall.
