The 2024 Alice Rivaz Prize was awarded to Catherine Lovey. The Valais writer is rewarded for her novel “History of the man who did not want to die” published in February by Zoé. This prize worth 5,000 francs will be awarded to him in November in Lausanne.
Catherine Lovey is the 2024 winner of the Alice Rivaz Prize for her book “History of the man who did not want to die” (editions Zoé). The Valais writer “delivers a strong work on the human condition”, wrote the Alice Rivaz association on Wednesday. “The simplicity of the story, the description of the characters presented with delicacy, the humanity and humor that emerge, despite the illness and the seriousness of the subject, make it a deep and endearing novel.”
“Story of the Man Who Didn’t Want to Die” tells the story of two neighbors who live on the same floor. Their exchanges are cordial, but almost insignificant. Until this day when the narrator, on whom the entire story is based, notices a change in the appearance of her neighbor.
She will get to know him better, while he discovers that he has an incurable illness. A relationship difficult to define will therefore form between the two.
>> Listen to the interview with Catherine Lovey for her novel “History of the man who did not want to die”:
A prize awarded every three years
The jury unanimously awarded this award, among three shortlisted novels. The writer will receive her prize of 5,000 francs on November 22 in Lausanne. This year, Catherine Lovey also won the Michel-Dentan Prize for the same book, as well as the literary prize of the National Academy of Medicine in France.
Created in 2015, the Alice Rivaz Prize is awarded every three years. It recognizes a work in French by a Swiss author or author residing in Switzerland, the press release recalls. In 2021, it was awarded to Silvia Ricci Lempen for “Anna’s Dreams”.
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This information will be covered in “Vertigo” this Wednesday at 5 p.m.
