“The idea is to bring the chosen book to life throughout the year,” comments Stanislas Rigot, manager of the Lamartine Bookstore and member of the booksellers' prize.
This year sees appearing for the first time, on the initiative of Julie Marang, owner of Parisian hotels, and Stanislas Rigot, the Literary Passion Prize.
This award aims to “celebrate passion in all its forms in contemporary literature”.
Apart from loving Parisian hotels, Julie Marang is a book lover.
For her, says a relative, living without Kessel, Gary, or Kundera would not have the same flavor.
She found through this prize launch project a perfect opportunity to combine her two favorite hobbies.
A prize is inseparable from a place (the Goncourt at the Drouant restaurant, Le Femina at the Carnavalet museum, L'Interallié at the Lasserre restaurant, etc.), for the Prize for Literary Passion, the event took place at the Grand Powers, bel Haussmann hotel, redecorated for the occasion.
For this occasion, the Maison Piaget jewelery store sponsored the event.
Six books had been selected with the collaboration of the Lamartine bookstore and Julie Marang.
Leïla Kaddour, president of the jury
A prestigious and diverse jury is made up of personalities from all walks of life.
The president is journalist Leïla Kaddour, surrounded by lawyer and writer Richard Malka, fashion designer Rabih Kayrouz, prima ballerina Dorothée Gilbert, actress and humorist Agnès Hurstel (co-director of the Jeune et Golri series) and the director of Paco Rabanne Nadia Dhouib.
The Prize for Literary Passion was awarded to the formidable book Une vie par le menu by Frédéric Laffont, published by l'Iconoclaste.
There were, however, formidable competitors facing him: Karine Tuil, Nathalie Azoulai, Michel Bernard, Thérésa Revay, Léa Chauvel-Levy.
Une vie par le menu
is a literary biography of Bernard Pacaud, chef of the Parisian restaurant l'Ambroisie, three stars for more than thirty years.
The story follows the trajectory of this child born of an unknown father who grew up in an orphanage before joining by chance the kitchens of Mère Brazier, a tutelary figure in Lyon gastronomy, his apprenticeship alongside Claude Peyrot and his daily work.
Between gastronomy and literature, it's always a story of passion.
