Hemley Boum’s novel Le rêve du pêcheur was declared a Prix Louis-Guilloux 2024 finalist on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
Louis Guilloux was a French writer known for his novels describing working-class life and political struggles in the mid-twentieth century. The legendary writer passed away in 1980 and three years later the Conseil Général of the Côtes-d’Armor, his hometown, and the writers Yvon Le Men and Yannick Pelletier (specialist of Louis Guilloux) set up Prix Louis-Guilloux. Its idea was “to perpetuate the literary ideals and values of the Breton writer”. The prize is granted each year to a work in the French language which is characterised by “the humane qualities of generous thought, refusing all dualism and all sacrifice of individuality in favour of ideological abstractions.” Some of the previous winners have been Makenzy Orcel, Abdourahman Waberi, Ananda Devi, Boualem Sansal, and Léonora Miano.
The ten finalists for the 2024 edition were announced on Wednesday with Patrice Kervaon, vice-president of the Côtes d’Armor Department responsible for culture and cultures of Brittany calling them exceptional novels.
“The diversity of the works selected and the organization of highlights throughout the year invite everyone to discover exceptional novels, scrupulously chosen by the selection committee, which is committed to selecting works of high quality exceptional literature and carrying humanist values”, underlines,” Patrice Kervaon said.
The finalists included Hemley Boum’s novel Le rêve du pêcheur. Hemley Boum posted on social media, “The good news of the day: Le Rêve du Pêcheur, in the running for the 2024 Louis-Guilloux prize.”
The winner will be selected by a citizen jury of citizens at libraries.
Please consider supporting the work we do at Writing Africa with a one-off donation or regularly on Mobile Money, PayPal, or Patreon. Click here for information on how to support our work.
Leave a Reply