Philibert Humm wins the Interallié prize with a "River novel" on the Seine

Detail of the cover of the book that won the 2022 Interallié prize by Philibert Humm: "Roman river", Equateurs editions.

© Editions des Equateurs

Text by: Siegfried Forster Follow

2 mins

The Interallié 2022 prize was awarded this Wednesday, November 9 to the French writer and journalist Philibert Humm.

"Roman river" offers an immersive reading recounting the journey of three young people who decided to canoe down the Seine, from Paris to the sea.

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Philibert Humm, who earns his living as a reporter and in the culture department of Paris-Match, has just celebrated his 31st birthday at the end of October and his first prize for his first novel all by himself.

Published by Éditions des Equateurs, his zany adventure of three young people visibly seduced the eight (exclusively male) members of the jury.

► To read also: 

The Prix Médicis 2022 awarded to Emmanuelle Bayamack-Tam for "La Thirteenth Hour"

The Interallié prize, founded in 1930 by around thirty journalists and which counts very great authors such as André Malraux, Michel Houellebecq, Florian Zeller or Philippe Djian among its laureates, rewards a novel in French each year.

► To read also:

The Femina 2022 prize awarded to Claudie Hunzinger for "A dog at my table"

On 288 pages, Philibert Humm details in romantic form his experience in 2018 with two friends.

Without GPS or other modern technology, they entrusted themselves to a second-hand canoe and the moods of the river to move forward in their lives.

The jury thus has the audacity to transform an outdoor journey into an indoor adventure where we meet firefighters, policemen or tavern keepers in an often funny and whimsical spirit.

Through its subject, its action and its narrative, 

Roman Fleuve

aims to be both anachronistic and avant-garde while celebrating eternal values ​​such as unfailing friendship.

A logical sequel to his previous work, a

road movie

co-written with his childhood and scouting friend, Pierre Adrian: 

Le tour de France par deux enfants d'hui

.

► To read also: 

France: the Goncourt 2022 prize awarded to Brigitte Giraud for her book "Live fast"

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On the same subject

The 2022 Prix Médicis awarded to Emmanuelle Bayamack-Tam for “La Thirteenth Hour”

The Femina 2022 prize awarded to Claudie Hunzinger for “A dog at my table”

France: the Goncourt 2022 prize awarded to Brigitte Giraud for her book "Live fast"