Students of French language literature in the United States awarded the Goncourt United States prize to Haitian novelist and poet, Makenzy Orcel, for his book, "Une somme humaine" (A human sum). The ceremony took place at the French embassy’s Villa Albertine in New York. The writer told RFI it was an intense experience.
“I worked really hard and it is so rewarding to see the passion of the students who are also avid readers,” Makenzy Orsel said after the ceremony in Manhattan at the weekend.
“It looks as if my work, some 20 odd years spent writing, is finally finding its readers and that my craft means something to them.”
The Prix Goncourt, one of France’s prestigious literary prizes, has an international version in 35 different countries with juries made up of university students of French language literature.
On Saturday 29 April, 150 students gathered at Villa Albertine in Manhattan, a French governmental institution for arts and ideas in the United States.
#ChoixGoncourtUK
— Maison Française d'Oxford (@MFOxford) February 28, 2023
Did you miss yesterday's conversation with Makenzy Orcel, @CatrionaSeth, & @AnnePeuf?
The interview is available on the MFO YouTube channel
👉https://t.co/1MV730s0eN
Tomorrow at 5pm, do not miss Brigitte Giraud for 'Vivre vite'
👉https://t.co/LoCZWnNc2L pic.twitter.com/I49oTWmuSp
The students hailed from eight distinguished American universities: Duke, Harvard, NYU, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Columbia, and the University of Virginia. They spent months studying six books shortlisted for the second edition of the US Goncourt prize selection.
Standing ovation
The six shortlisted books were "Vivre vite"(Living fast) by Brigitte Giraud who won the 2022 Goncourt prize, "Le mage du Kremlin" (The magician from Kremlin) by Giuliano da Empoli, "Les presque sœurs" (The almost sisters) by Cloé Korman, "La petite menteuse" (The little liar) by Pascale Robert-Diard, "La vie clandestine" (A clandestine life) by Monica Sabolo and "Une somme humaine" (A human sum) by Makenzy Orcel.
The 40 year-old Haitian writer told RFI’s Elisabeth Lequeret that he was surprised and moved by the standing ovation of the 150 students gathered at Villa Albertine.
“It was quite incredible. I’ve experienced a few things throughout my life as a writer but this… this was crazy” he said.
“It’s not so much about the prize than meeting people, meeting readers. It’s like we are travelling together and are looking in the same direction. This, for me, is priceless.”
The students were not expecting to see him. It so happened that Orcel had a meeting at Villa Albertine with one of the directors on the day before the prize was awarded. She told him that she would send a car for him if he won as the students would be overjoyed to meet him.
"I was at a writer's panel on that day and I later noticed two missed calls," he remembers. "The car came to pick me up and I was brought into into Villa Albertine by a side entrance."
Universalism
Une somme humaine, Orcel’s seventh book, published in August 2022, also won the first Goncourt Niger, as well as the tenth Goncourt Romania and Moldova.
But he said that the US Goncourt was the first one where he got to meet the jury of readers.
“It was different because I was actually there, I was in the room, I could hear them discuss my book, and we could talk to each other. I think this is what was different in receiving the US prize,” the author said.
The jury compared his work to that of beloved American authors William Faulkner and Toni Morrison.
They praised his “poetic prose”, a “magnificent fiction that speaks of universalism”.
