Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, 2021 Goncourt Prize: "Young, I played Scrabble a lot!"

2021-12-19T06:24:22.504Z

Sacred, at 31, Goncourt Prize 2021, the Senegalese writer loves books and words. The proof.

Madame Figaro.

- What struck you when you received the Goncourt Prize?

Mohamed Mbougar Sarr.

- The commotion at Drouant (the restaurant where the announcement of Goncourt is made), the euphoria of journalists, the flashes… Images that I had already seen as in a dream and that I was suddenly living in reality.

Then, the discussions, during lunch with the members of the jury, which really fascinated me.

Finally, the joy and the words of my loved ones.

We, the inhabitants of the French-speaking world, are honored, but what really matters is the text.

What does this consecration represent for you?

It is a sign of hope for the youth.

It shows that anything is possible.

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What is the main trait of your character?

Anchored on earth.

The one you're least proud of?

I don't know… In any case, the goal is to improve.

The one you hate in other people?

Hatred, arrogance.

Where does your love for words come from, for the French language, what does your writing reveal?

Young, I played Scrabble a lot!

I like the idea of passing on rare words by stripping them of their technical aspect in order to blend them into ordinary language.

My Proust madeleine?

My mother's yassa chicken and Serer couscous

Your anti-stress thing?

Reading: Estelle-Sarah Bulle, Christophe Boltanski and, currently,

Nine Essays on Dante,

by Jorge Luis Borges.

An adjective that defines you?

Patient.

What would you take with you on a desert island?

A book that can be read endlessly like the Bible, the Koran, and the real abundant stories like

L'Astrée,

by Honoré d'Urfé.

The three basics of your wardrobe?

A shirt, jeans, sneakers or shoes for special occasions.

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