The 2024 Wepler-Fondation La Poste Prize awarded to writer Thomas Clerc for his exploration of Paris

“Paris museum of the 21st century – The 18th arrondissement”, an epic wandering by Thomas Clerc in the old suburb of the capital, has just been crowned and the Special Mention of the jury, awarded to Célestin de Meeûs for his first novel “Mythologie du .12”.

POur 27^e edition, the jury of the Wepler-Fondation La Poste prize chose to reward Paris 21st century museum^e century – The eighteenth arrondissement, a world-book in which the author provides a methodical description of this district born from his wanderings, from Montmartre to the outskirts of the ring road.

The four hundred and twenty-five streets, squares, squares, avenues, towns, villa gardens, dead ends and passages listed were surveyed by Thomas Clerc who recreates his own vision. In 2007, he already published Paris, 21st century museum^e century -The tenth arrondissement and thus evoked the scale of his project: devoting an exploration of each district of the capital. In 2005, he made himself known by publishing a biography of Maurice Sachs, Maurice Sachs the idle, in which he explored the myth of this former companion and assistant of Cocteau.

The Special Mention from the jury was awarded to Célestin de Meeûs for Mythology of.12a first novel – the author is also a poet – full of tension and a particularly mastered style: the story of a summer solstice day in the middle of nowhere, of two adolescents who overcome boredom on a parking lot, of a doctor whose orderly life and model family are shattered, of a drama to come.

For twenty-seven years, the objective of the Wepler-Fondation La Poste Prize has been to support twelve writers selected in editorial diversity so that they exist on the autumn literary scene. Its rotating jury, made up of an inmate, booksellers, an employee of the La Poste group, two literary critics and readers, crowns two in particular and provides them with substantial resources which encourage the continuation of their adventure literary.

The La Poste Foundation endows this prize with a sum of 10,000 euros which rewards romantic risk-taking and a demanding style. It also endows another author with a sum of 3,000 euros through a special mention from the jury awarded to a “prodigiously unclassifiable literary UFO”.

r Paris, museum of the 21st century – the eighteenth arrondissement, ed. by Midnight, 626 p., €25.

r Mythology of.12ed. of the Basement, 158 p., €17.50.