the Friday prize rewards a novel committed against censorship

The Friday prize was awarded to The Huntnovel by Maureen Desmailles published by Thierry Magnier. This book, intended for adolescents, reflects the fight against the 1949 law which strictly regulates children’s publications, addressing delicate and current themes.

The Friday Prize, which honors children’s literature, was awarded this Tuesday, November 5 to The Hunta novel by Maureen Desmailles published by Thierry Magnier. This first novel, aimed at adolescents, features a 17-year-old character of indeterminate sex, who interferes in the life of his young neighbor.

This book is part of the L’Ardeur collection, already controversial after the ban on the sale to minors of another of its titles, Way too small by Manu Causse. This ban, pronounced in July 2023 in application of the 1949 law and the opinion of the Commission for the Surveillance and Control of Youth Publications, is a rare measure, justified in this case by explicit sex scenes.

Thierry Magnier said he was “speechless” in the face of “the violence” of this decision, pointing out that other books intended for adolescents contain equally shocking scenes. He also called for a review of the 1949 law, which he considers unsuitable for the cultural practices of today’s young people.

The National Publishing Union supported this approach, calling into question the “consistency and effectiveness” of rules established more than 75 years ago, well before the advent of modern media which expose young people to varied content .

The Friday prize, in its “culture pass youth jury” version, was also awarded to Blue charcoalan illustrated novel by Anne Loyer and Gérard Dubois, which evokes a mining disaster.

With this distinction, The Hunt by Maureen Desmailles stands out as a landmark work in the landscape of children’s literature, tackling sensitive subjects rarely explored. The Friday Prize reaffirms the need to rethink the legislation surrounding works intended for adolescents, in order to better reflect the realities and cultural issues of today.

With AFP