“Beirut 2020” by Charif Majdalani receives the Special Jury Prize Femina
Portrait of the writer Charif Majdalani, winner of the Special Jury Prize Femina 2020 © Hermance Triay
Text by: Pascal Paradou
3 min
After seven novels, the Lebanese writer Charif Majdalani was awarded on November 2 a Special Prize by the jury of the French literary prize Femina for “Beirut 2020. Diary of a collapse”.
The book, started last July, tells the daily story of the crisis in Lebanon with this high point which is the explosion of the port of Beirut on August 4.
An intimate and political story about the mourning of a country.
Publicity
Read more
“
Originally, I didn't want to write a newspaper or, at least, I wanted to write something that tells about our reality,
” said Charif Majdalani, guest of the show De vive (s) voix on RFI.
So, I had imagined a fake newspaper.
A diary that would be kept by a fictional character.
But the more I wrote it down, the more I found I was just telling reality with assumed names - it was ridiculous.
Suddenly, I said to myself
: there is no point in doing fiction, because this so-called fiction that I am telling is absolutely the most raw reality.
In fact, it echoed everything that happened during what is called the “revolution”.
That is to say the insurgency that began last October and which was directed against the corrupt political class which took over the state for its own interests and which established a mafia relationship with its citizens.
It all ruined the state.
All this was done with the complicity of the banks.
All this, everyone knows.
The special jury prize, I think, was awarded above all out of solidarity for the people of Lebanon and I obviously dedicate it to the Lebanese people and to all those who were victims of this terrible year. I am very happy about it. This special mention is something important to us, because it is a special year that we have lived.
"
►
Listen to the entire interview with Charif Majdalani on the
De vive (s) voice program
on November 2, 2020.
►
To read also:
War and peace told by the Lebanese Charif Majdalani
► To read also:
Serge Joncour wins the Femina prize with “Human nature”
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Literary awards
Literature
Lebanon
Culture
On the same subject
Book: "Nigerian-style scam", survey of West African "grazers"
Serge Joncour wins the Femina prize with “Human Nature”