Senegalese writer Mohamed Mbougar Sarr won the Goncourt prize on Wednesday for his novel “The Most Secret Memory of Men”, published by Philippe Rey editions.
For its part, the Renaudot prize, announced as tradition a few seconds after the Goncourt, was awarded to the Belgian novelist Amélie Nothomb for “First blood” (Albin Michel), the fictional memories of her father who died in 2020.
Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, 31, would compete in Goncourt with three other finalists. They are Christine Angot with Le Voyage dans l’Est (Flammarion), Sorj Chalandon with Enfant de salaud (Grasset) and Louis-Philippe Dalembert with Milwaukee Blues (Sabine Wespieser).
The oldest French literary prize has been awarded since 1903 to “the best imaginative work in prose, published in the year” and written by a French-speaking author.
Best-selling author Amélie Nothomb, who faced three other competitors: Anne Berest with La Carte postale (Grasset), Nicolas Chemla with Murnau des ténèbres (Recherches-Midi) and Abel Quentin with Le Voyant d’Etampes (Les editions de l’Observatoire), was elected in the second round, with 6 votes.
The Renaudot for the essay was awarded to “Dans ma rue yait trois boutiques” (Presses de la Cité) by Anthony Palou.
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