The Franco-Lebanese writer, Sabyl Ghoussoub, won the Goncourt prize for high school students 2022 for his work, “Beirut-sur-Seine”, published by Stock editions.
According to the jury of this Goncourt, made up of high school students from all over France, “Beirut-sur-Seine” won in the second round of the ballot, against “The artificial links” by Nathan Devers, Albin Michel editions.
Sabyl Ghoussoub succeeds in the Goncourt des lycéens, to Clara Dupont-Monod, awarded in 2021 for “Adapt” (Stock edition), a novel on disability, also winner of the Femina prize of the same year.
Two other novels remained in the running in the final of the competition, namely “Sa Favorite” by Sarah Jollien-Fardel (Sabine Wespieser) and “La Petite Menteuse” by Pascale Robert-Diard (L’iconoclaste).
According to the presentation that has been made, “Beirut-sur-Seine” is a form of investigation in which the narrator questions his parents about their country of origin, Lebanon, which they left in 1975 when the war was going to their country.
Created in 1988 in Rennes, and organized by the Ministry of National Education and Fnac, with the agreement of the Académie Goncourt, this prize gives the opportunity each year to nearly 1,500 high school students from 55 establishments throughout France , in the general, technological or professional section, to immerse themselves in reading the novels selected by the Académie Goncourt.