He provoked sincere laughter from the entire room during his speech at the Cabri d'Or prize ceremony. Co-winner this year for “My cabin without pain”, Alain Guyard, caricaturist and philosopher with a singular and resolutely offbeat style, speaks after his victory.
Objectif Gard: You are co-winner of the Cabri d’Or 2024. What does this mean to you?
Alain Guyard: I am very honored and touched. I am not very familiar with literary prizes; I won a Brassens prize, a high school prize… What I particularly appreciate in these “small prizes”, without major impact, is their integrity. They escape the power games and compromises that can exist around major national prizes. There is a real spontaneity, a sincerity, a direct relationship to the text, without the influence of editorial or political issues. I always remain attached to “small places” and local initiatives; for me, this is where things can really happen. Receiving this Cabri d’Or makes me deeply happy. I have already had the honor of being named honorary citizen in two localities, two hamlets. And without exaggerating, it makes me quiver all over!
Could you explain to us the genesis of “My cabin without pain”, this title which earned you the Cabri d’Or, as well as the particular story that accompanies it?
I was looking for a place to retire to write, and now I came across a small mazet of 20 m² near Génolhac, surrounded by 2,000 m² of forest, with a river at the end. I buy it. Almost immediately, a question arises: what am I going to write here? I had found the place to write, but without knowing what to write. And spontaneously, I started writing about being in the mazet to write. A very simple mise en abyme. So, I blackened pages devoted to writing pages about this mazet, where I was writing pages devoted to the mazet.
This year, Alain Guyard (second from the left) is one of the two winners of the 2024 Cabri d’Or. • Louis Valat
The Cévennes seem to be a deep source of inspiration for you. How does this territory nourish your inspiration and creativity?
The Cévennes are a source of inspiration for those who know how to observe carefully. Of course, we can have an image of the Cévennes, make a postcard of it and miss their true essence, as with any place. But ultimately, what does writing require of those who want to write? The art of aiming, as with a weapon. That said, I don't like this image: I have a penchant for a schoolboy attitude, I like to sneer, to caricature. Caricaturists and shooters also share an essential quality, namely a sharp eye, capable of seeing beyond appearances.
“the Cévennes offer good goat's cheese and cultivate an old tradition of resistance, a little left-wing, so obviously nice. »
Alain Guyard, Cabri d’Or 2024
Why are the Cévennes inspiring? Because I managed to see them, to align my gaze, refine the tip of the pencil and grasp their truth. They are inhabited by improbable and surprising characters, and the nature there is breathtaking. But without disrespect to the Cévennes, I could undoubtedly have found this in Corsica, in Yugoslavia or in the greater Parisian belt. In addition, the Cévennes offer good goat's cheese and cultivate an old tradition of resistance, a little left-wing, so obviously nice.
You won the Cabri d'Or and for the first time, it must be said, you share the prize…
I love that the price was shared, it's very nice. I like two-headed works! I am very happy with this double winner, and it clearly shows the diversity of current publishing: there are manga, comics, novels, historical stories and satire, as in my case… The more variety there is, the more literary biodiversity flourishes, and that’s so much the better. Promoting contradiction also means nourishing a love of democracy and this great mess that is living things in all their richness. A living and healthy ecosystem.
