The jurors of the French Renaissance prize rendered their decision on Monday, November 15.
Chaired by René Le Bars, they rewarded Anna Moï, a French writer of Vietnamese origin, for her novel
Douze Palais de Mémoire
, published by Gallimard.
The book tells the story of a father and his six-year-old daughter who flee their country on a fishing boat, hoping to reach the United States.
Combining the voice of the father with that of the girl, the author delivers in this novel the memories of life in the country and the story of the crossing.
Originally from Vietnam, Anna Moï has written numerous books, such as
Le pays sans nom, strolling with Marguerite Duras
(2017, editions de l'Aube) and
Riz Noir
(2004, Gallimard).
She had already been rewarded in particular by the Literature-World prize in 2017, for her novel
Le venin du papillon
(Gallimard).
The French Renaissance Prize is awarded "to a writer whose mother tongue is not French, but who has written his work in the language of Molière."
Among the twelve books selected were
Diplomatic Amours
, by Maurizio Serra (Grasset),
Un afghan à Paris
, by Mahmud Nasim (Les éditions du Palais) or
L'Ami arménien
, by Andreï Makine (Grasset).
Last year, it was Katerina Autet, Russian author, who won the sesame for
The Fall of the Whyte House,
published by Robert Laffont, in the
“La bête noire” collection
.
It was published in pocket in September 2021, at Pocket.
Since its creation, the prize has recognized the Italian Simonetta Greggio (2016), the Venezuelan Miguel Bonnefoy (2017), the Vietnamese Hoa Hong Nguyen (2018) and the Argentinian Santiago Amigorena (2019).
Anna Moï will receive the literary award on December 9.
