Chosen by the 1,000 members of the 140 reading clubs of Domitys senior residences, the writer Gilles Marchand won, Tuesday June 18, the 13e Domitys prize for his novel The Out-of-Tune Soldier (At the Forges de Vulcain). The winner will receive their award on Tuesday June 25, during a presentation to be held at the Le Béryl residence, located in Saint-Ouen (93).
Multi-distinguished in 2023 (Eugène Dabit prize, booksellers prize, Grand prize for the French-speaking novel “birth of a work”, booksellers prize in Seine, Corinne Kim), the work of Gilles Marchand has sold more than 30 000 copies in large format according to GFK, and 30,000 more copies in pocket format (Le Livre de Poche, 2024).
At the end of the First World War, a veteran is tasked with finding a soldier who disappeared in 1917. From encounter to encounter, the man discovers the crazy love story lived by the young soldier who disappeared, in the middle of hell. And while France is hurtling towards a new armed conflict, the former soldier’s mission is intended to be a last hope.
Aged 48, Gilles Marchand is a writer and editor. In 2010, he participated in the call for texts for the CapharnaHome collection from Antidata editions, before becoming a regular contributor to the house’s thematic anthologies. His first novel, The Romance of Bolaño was published in 2015, co-signed by Eric Bonnerargent. A year later, the author went solo with A mouth without people (Aux Forges de Vulcain) and attracted the attention of booksellers, before establishing its notoriety with The Out-of-Tune Soldier.
Created in 2012, the Domitys prize offers a selection of five varied and French-speaking titles, then designated by all the established reading clubs.
