Prix Monte-Cristo
The Prix Monte-Cristo is a French literary prize that was awarded for the first time in 2019. The prize is awarded by a jury made up of inmates from the Fleury-Mérogis prison , the largest penal institution in Europe. The name of the award refers to the novel The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas , in which the protagonist Edmond Dantès is imprisoned (innocently) for 14 years. The award-winning work must have been published in French in the previous year. The winner will be selected from a long list. The establishment of the prize was initiated by Michèle Gazier, author and translator, Roxane Defer from Editions Héloïse d'Ormesson and Maëlle Guillaud, author and editor from Albin Michel , and was supported by the prison administration. The author Daniel Pennac is the patron and sponsor of the award .
The first prize winner was Émilie de Turckheim with her novel L'Enlèvement des Sabines (The Rape of the Sabine Women ). The eight novels on the longlist had the topic of enfermements (encapsulation).
Web links
- France's Prix Monte-Cristo's Inmate Jury Awards Its First Honor , article by Olivia Snaije from May 14, 2019 in Publishing Perspectives (English)
- Un jury de détenus pour le Prix Monte-Cristo , article by Léopoldine Leblanc from June 22, 2019 in Livres Hebdo (French)