The writer Carl Aderhold won the first literary prize Europe 1-GMF on Wednesday for his novel "The theater of nights", published by Stock, which recounts an unknown episode of the First World War when actors went to the front line to entertain the Poilus.
The 1st edition of the Europe 1-GMF Literary Prize, sponsored by Nicolas Carreau, literary specialist of Europe 1, highlighted the collective, solidarity and people, values common to the station and to the first insurer of agents of public service.
Five books with stories of men and women who put themselves at the service of others by vocation and work to make our society more human, were in the running to win the prize.
The jury, co-chaired by Constance Benqué, president of Lagardère News and Thierry Derez, president of GMF and chairman and chief executive officer of the Covéa group, was made up of 15 personalities from the world of literature and the High Civil Service, from GMF, from Europe 1 and two listeners from the station.
"This novel shows that humans reveal themselves in the worst situations"
After deliberations on June 5, the Europe Literary Prize 1-GMF was awarded to Carl Aderhold, for his work The Theater of Nights (at Stock editions), during an official ceremony held in the premises of Europe 1. "When it comes to people and living together, there is no better field of experience than that of the theater of operations. This novel demonstrates that humans reveal themselves in the worst situations. And if, in addition, we have a love story ... So we have everything. " Nicolas Carreau , sponsor of the Europe Literary Prize 1- GMF.
In addition, a special mention Europe 1-GMF was awarded to Hugo Boris, for his work Le courage des autres (published by Grasset).
The story of the novel
The book tells of Blanche Baulieu, a beauty already dented by life, who has been filming in Parisian theaters since the start of the war, dreaming of becoming a great actress. But times are tough and she is struggling to find her place. So when she is asked to join the theater in the armed forces, she doesn't hesitate for a second.
Blanche landed on the Vosges Front in 1917, with a group of Parisian actresses led by Sarah Bernhardt. The objective is clear: to boost the morale of the troops and contribute to national victory. Antoine comes to pick her up at the station. A hairy one. A silent. A young man. Her heart is racing but around them the snow is falling. And the enemies are watching. A deeply moving love story, crossed by history, which depicts a war where everything is theater.