Abdellah Taïa wins the December 2024 prize for The Bastion of Tears
The December 2024 Prize was awarded this Wednesday, October 30, to Moroccan writer Abdellah Taïa for his novel The Bastion of Tears, published by Julliard. The author, already crowned with the Prix de la Langue Française this year, is thus recognized for a work that is both intimate and committed, which explores the weight of memories and identity struggles in a society marked by violence and patriarchy.
In The Bastion of Tears, Taïa follows Youssef, a Moroccan professor exiled in France, who returns to Salé, his hometown, after the death of his mother. This return, forced to take care of family affairs, plunges Youssef into the painful memories of his childhood and his romantic past with Najib, a childhood sweetheart with a tragic destiny. The novel offers a poignant look at the complexity of family ties and the weight of social norms in a context where homosexuality remains repressed.
The jury of the December Prize, chaired this year by literary figures such as Laure Adler, Amélie Nothomb and Christophe Honoré, praised this eleventh novel by Abdellah Taïa, describing it as "burning" and "incantatory". For Frédéric Mora, editorial director of Julliard, this distinction confirms Taïa's place among the great voices of contemporary literature.
With this victory, Taïa succeeds Kevin Lambert, the 2023 winner, and receives a €15 grant from the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation. This prize, traditionally awarded in the fall, is distinguished by its recognition of daring works, thus confirming Taïa's unique mark on the French-speaking literary landscape.
