France’s Prix Goncourt has gone to Atiq Rahimi’s STONE OF PATIENCE (Syngue Sabour), “the story of a woman whose husband suffers brain damage from a bullet wound” according to publisher Editions P.O.L. Born in Afghanistan in 1962, Rahimi fled to Pakistan in his 20s and then received asylum in France before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 after the ejection of the Taliban. The author (also a filmmaker) told French television, “All I can say is: I’m so happy that I’ll need many dictionaries, many encyclopedias to find the word or words, the expressions, to express this reaction.” In the US, […]
France
The Season in France
A French news service share statistics on the big French fall publishing season, “an important ritual on the French literary circuit. Every year, by the end of August, French booksellers get agitated, critics get irritated, and writers become nervous as a profusion of titles hits the bookshelves.” The total count of 676 novels is down slightly from last year’s 727 works. Of those, 210 are works in translation. They come from 98 publishers in all, and even the biggest houses have only a small share: “Gallimard and Fayard have 18 novels each, Le Seuil 15, Grasset 14, Le Rocher 13, […]
Papers Say Direct Group France Sale Planned
Le Figaro and Les Echos have reported that Bertelsmann is working with Morgan Stanley to elicit offers for the Direct Group France division, which comprises both book clubs and the France Loisirs bookstore chain. One paper estimates the group could sell for 300 million euros, and the business newspaper says the sale could begin in September. But a spokesman for Bertelsmann said that no decision has been made yet, adding that “the news over the timing and the price are pure speculation.” Reuters In a broader story, FT Germany says the Bertelsmann has decided to sell off the Direct Group […]