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The Goncourt Prize - Romania's choice went this year to Miguel Bonnefoy's novel "Heritage", the French Ambassador to Romania, Laurence Auer, told on Thursday a press conference organized at the National Library of Romania.
"This is not the first prize I offer, but, as always, it is a great pleasure and a great honor to do this tour of the 15 books nominated not by specialists, but by the young generation, young people who read directly in French, translate the books and analyze them," said Laurence Auer.
The French diplomat voiced her satisfaction that this competition has been organised this "somewhat complicated" year, too.
As to "Heritage", published by Rivages Publishing House, which she warmly recommended to be read from the Library of the French Institute, Laurence Auer stated that it is "the saga of an uprooted family, who crosses the ocean and history".
"Miguel Bonnefoy is an author who published a highly acclaimed novel in 2015, 'Octavio's Journey,'" the ambassador recalled.
Writer Ioana Parvulescu, the honorary president on behalf of Romania of the "Goncourt Prize - Romania's Choice 2020" contest and writer Santiago H. Amigorena, the 2019 winner and honorary president of this edition on behalf of France, conveyed to those present messages on the online platform Zoom.
During the event, a partnership agreement was signed between the National Library of Romania and the French Institute of Romania, which aims, according to the director general of the National Library of Romania, Carmen Mihaiu, to promote the common heritage of the two institutions in events (debates, conferences), which will contribute to the "expression of the two countries' culture", to be presented to the French and Romanian public.
The Goncourt Prize - Romania's Choice 2020 is awarded for the eighth consecutive year, within a project organized by the French Institute in Romania and the French Embassy, with the support of the Francophone University Agency in Central and Eastern Europe and Groupe Renault Romania.
The jury - made up of representatives of students from the faculties of French language and literature from six universities in Romania (Brasov, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Sibiu and Timisoara) - met on Friday morning for the final deliberations at the Kyralina French Library.
The Goncourt Prize - Romania's Choice has been organized since 2013, Romania being the fifth country in the Goncourt galaxy, after Poland (1998), Serbia (2012), Lebanon (2012) and Italy (2013). Currently, 20 countries and regions in the world choose and grant such an award.
