The "20 Minutes" prize for the novel goes to "Noir de Lune"

Maxime Chattam defends "Noir de Lune", prize 20 Minutes of the novel -

• The jury chaired by Maxime Chattam awarded the “20 Minutes” prize for the novel to “Lune de Guernanor”.

• This captivating 900-page adventure novel by Estelle Tolliac, a 38-year-old professor of Letters, will be published in two volumes.

• The first, under the title "Noir de Lune", appears on November 26.

You were 504 readers to submit a manuscript for the

of the novel

prize

between January and May 2020. And among you, only one winner: 

, 900-page novel-river, broken down into two parts, including the first will appear on November 26 in a first volume entitled

, published in partnership with Prisma media by Les Nouveaux Auteurs.

A captivating adventure novel accessible to all

A superb adventure novel written by a 38-year-old professor of Letters, Estelle Tolliac, who very delicately mixes the styles of 

(with its share of “first times”) and 

(for its “imaginary world”) .

It fits perfectly with the theme imposed by

for the first edition of its novel prize, namely "the future belongs to young people".

We discover how young people from rival peoples of a continent will team up to thwart the project of a bloodthirsty war.

Obviously, love will sometimes get mixed up and nothing will turn out exactly as planned, but still.

This novel was almost unanimous by a jury made up of readers from different backgrounds, the president of the jury being the famous novelist Maxime Chattam, and his five jurors, editorial journalists, authors, readers and contributors to our literary platform.

Deliberation of the 20 Minutes Prize for the novel with the writer Maxime Chattam (center).

- Olivier Juszczak / 20 Minutes

“Its author knows how to write and tell a story,” emphasizes Maxime Chattam.

From the moment you are taken by the hand from the first lines and you have embarked on the multitude of chapters of the book, which you cannot let go, and that you come out of there with the feeling of having lived a adventure with the characters… me, I have the feeling that we have a really good novel.

And in addition the story is fascinating.

"

What particularly pleased us was the epic and fantastic breath of this romantic epic, the atmosphere of medieval inspiration, half-realistic, half-fantastic that emanates from it, the fluidity of the writing, neat and pleasant.

But also, the determining role of women in this story, the gallant character of young people despite everything, and the permanent idea of ​​denouncing sexist prejudices, therefore, but also racist.

A striking novel by the modernity of its characters, its intrigues which intertwine while remaining accessible to all, even if it sometimes turns out to be a little raw and violent despite everything.

"This price is true to what

," insists writer Maxime Chattam.

That is to say that it rewards a popular novel, in the noble sense of the term, a novel which is intended for all, for all, and I had immense pleasure to read it.

"

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