Jean D’Amerique was awarded the Prix Fintro Prijs 2021 at a ceremony in Antwerp, Belgium on Wednesday, November 24, 2021.
Prix Fintro Prijs is a prize to support young Belgian artists in the three categories of Painting, Sculpture and Photography; Cinema, Theater and Dance; as well as Literature. In the literature category, young authors of original French and Dutch-speaking literary works of all genres, but also authors of plays, librettos, podcasts or blogs are consider. The winner chosen by a professional jury receives €12,000 and the second and third finalists each receive €2,000. The award is a production of La Foire du Livre de Bruxelles (Brussels Book Fair) and sponsored by Fintro Estaimpuis Reheul is a division of BNP Paribas Fortis.
There were eleven writers in the French written category with Marie Darah, Jean d’Amérique, and Gioia Kayaga / Joy Slam being the three writers of African descent making the cut. In the Dutch speaking category, Lisette Ma Neza made the finalists list.
The winners for the 2021 edition of the prize were announced by the Commissioner General Marie Noble at a ceremony in Antwerp. The first prize was awarded to Jean D’Amerique, novelist, poet, playwright and slammer. His intense poetry, in flaming, sensitive and powerful language, is at the intersection of various literary and artistic movements. The author had offered a moving reading of Nul chemin dans la peau que saignante étreinte (No Way in the Skin That Bleeding Embrace) published by Cheyne Éditeur. The second and third prizes went to Charline Lambert and Marie Dhara.
Jean D’Amerique responded by commenting on his social media;
“Last week in #Anvers, I had the honor and great joy to receive the Fintro Prize for French-speaking literature! A beautiful and great award, for which I wholeheartedly thank the jury, brought in by La Foire du Livre de Bruxelles. Congratulations to Charline Lambert and Marie Darah second and third winners, but also to @TAG, crowned the Public Award in the same category.
Finally, a big congratulations to Charlotte Van den Broeck, winner in the Dutchophone literature category. It is published in English by the same American publishing house that will publish the English translation of my novel!”
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