The Max Gallo prize is awarded to Michel Moatti for his novel Darwin published by Hervé Chopin.
Édith Leblond and Renaud Leblond, president and deputy general manager of Éditions XO:
“Forgetting is the devil’s trick”: this is how Max Gallo titled his autobiography, with a touch of irony. By creating a literary prize in his memory, the city of Nice – this city of Angels which saw him grow up and which he loved so much – seriously contradicts the maxim of the monk Rigord! Already immortal, academician Max Gallo will forever remain the great writer of French History. Max, as we know, told the story, at eye level, as close as possible to us. His passion for History and this unique way of addressing readers – generous, passionate, but also demanding – will now be the common thread of the Max Gallo Prize. For us who were lucky enough to publish it, Max was above all a wonderful storyteller. This award pays him the greatest tribute. May all those who worked to launch it – we are thinking in particular of Marielle Gallo, Christian Giraud and Christian Estrosi – be congratulated and thanked.”
The first edition of the Max Gallo prize crowned Michel Moatti this Friday, November 8 for his novel Darwin, the last chapter, published by Hervé Chopin.
The jury, chaired by Emmanuel de Waresquiel, brought together writers and historians, Marielle Gallo, Maryvonne de Saint Pulgent, Henri-Christian Giraud, Jérémy Guedj, and Pascal Ory, from the Académie française. The prize will be presented to Michel Moatti by Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, President of the Nice-Côte d'Azur Metropolis, in the exceptional setting of the Villa Masséna, art and history museum, on Friday December 6, 2024.
Max Gallo (1932-2017), French novelist, historian, essayist, politician and academician, is the son of a family of poor Italian immigrants who came from Piedmont to Nice. He spent his childhood and youth there, and even taught at the Masséna high school and at the university. It will pay a beautiful tribute to its origins and to the city which welcomed its people in its romantic saga The Bay of Angels (Robert Laffont. 1976).
Holder of a CAP in adjuster, radio technician, he will, with persistence, with constancy, apply himself to making a living from his passion: history and stories. Journalist at L'Express, editorial director of Le Matin de Paris, he entered politics in 1981, becoming equally involved on the left under François Mitterrand, of whom he was Secretary of State, government spokesperson, between 1983 and 1984, as well as on the right, by supporting the candidacy of Nicolas Sarkozy for the 2007 presidential election. He will be a European deputy, but the heart of his life is writing. A prolific writer, he published more than 130 titles from the mid-1960s until his final years.
In 2015, he announced that he was suffering from Parkinson's disease which would take his life two years later. His work is protean. There is hardly an era, event, or historical figure that, from one century to the next, he has not addressed. We will reread with emotion his autobiography Oblivion is the devil's ruse (XO, 2012). “And everything for me, my life, life, war, History, was novel. »
Inspired by the journals of Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy and the writings of Darwin, Darwin, the last chapter not only tells an adventure story, but immerses the reader in the intimacy of a scientific and human expedition which marked a turning point in our understanding of the world.
Michel Moatti takes us into the adventure of the HMS Beagle, which began in December 1831, where the young naturalist Charles Darwin, recently graduated from Cambridge, was embarked at the request of Captain Robert FitzRoy. The latter seeks intellectual companionship to avoid the extreme isolation encountered during previous expeditions, which led his predecessor to suicide. During this five-year journey, Darwin fell seriously and mysteriously ill.
Between deep distress and acute crises, he will succeed in accumulating observations and revolutionary research work. Journalist, doctor in sociology and university professor, Michel Moatti is the author of Return to Whitechapel (2013), unanimously acclaimed by critics, and You Shall Not Be Afraid (Cognac Polar Prize 2017). His historical thrillers are all published in paperback by 10-18. Darwin, the last chapter is his 11th novel published by Éditions Hervé Chopin.
© Atelier Gallien Studio.
