the essential
Already winner of the “Jean-Giono” and “Le Mans Saint-Exupéry” Prizes, the 8th novel by Aveyron native Olivier Norek “Winter Warriors” has just won the “2024 Renaudot High School Students Prize”. He is still in the running for the “Prix Goncourt des lycéens 2024” and the “Prix des Visionnaires”.
“With a brave heart, nothing is impossible. Thanks to Elsa Lafon and the members of the juries of these fabulous prizes for believing in the Warriors!”, thanked Olivier Norek on social networks.
It must be said that this fall literary season saw, in addition to the selections for the Goncourt, Renaudot and Interallié Prizes, his 8th novel “Les Guerriers de l'hiver” published by Michel Lafon published by Elsa Lafon, win three prizes in a few weeks: the Le Mans Saint-Exupéry Prize, the Jean-Giono Prize and finally the Renaudot Prize for high school students.
The Aveyron writer, who likes to come and recharge his batteries with his family in Aubin, is still in the running for two other literary prizes: the Goncourt for high school students, the name of the winner of which will be announced on November 28, and the Visionaries Prize for which “Winter Warriors” is among the last three names in the running for votes open until next spring, for proclamation in April 2025.
Résistance
Famous author of seven detective novels having already won numerous awards, and recognized screenwriter, Olivier Norek thus sees his first white literature novel (which is not genre literature) rewarded.
Historical novel, “The Winter Warriors” tells how the Finnish people of 3 million inhabitants found the courage and heroism to confront and resist the Russian invasion, a people of 171 million inhabitants, for 13 days in 1939 and 1940, in the depths of winter with temperatures down to minus 50°.
Olivier Norek immersed himself in Finland during the exact same winter period, in order to immerse himself in the harsh conditions that the Finnish soldiers faced and with which they knew how to deal with to slow down and stop the Russian steamroller.
More than three months during which Olivier Norek investigated in the field, in libraries and with witnesses, around the figures of this conflict, in particular Simo Häyhä, young farmer and best sniper of all time, who to him alone eliminated between 500 and 700 Red Army soldiers.
Dedicated in December in Aveyron
Olivier Norek is currently meeting his readers during literary fairs and book signings.
In our region, he will be at signing sessions on December 8 at the Laissac press house; December 12 at the Le Livre en fête bookstore in Figeac; December 14 at the Carmaux press house; on December 18 at the Pont Virgule bookstore in Espalion and on December 21 at the La Maison du livre bookstore in Rodez.
