Middle East
Tunis’ top book prize for Jewish author
French-Jewish author Tobie Nathan, pictured, wrote about the life and expulsion of Egyptian Jews – which won him a prestigious literary prize in Tunisia. The jury of the “Goncourt List: The Choice of Tunisia” award on Wednesday voted to give its first-ever prize to Nathan for his book “This Country that Resembles You”, which was published in French earlier this year
ANT KATZ with JTA
The Tunisian award was established earlier this year as the local version of France’s Goncourt Prize, awarded annually since 1903 by the Académie Goncourt literary society in Paris to the author of “the best and most imaginative prose work of the year”.
Prominent members of the French society visited Tunisia in October to assist the Tunisian affiliate in selecting candidates for the prize.
Nathan was born in Cairo in 1948 to Italian-Jewish parents who had to flee in 1957 as part of the regime’s expulsion of Jews.
His latest book will appear in Arabic next year, and he will be invited to be the guest of honour from France at Tunisia’s next international book fair, FILT, in March.
Prominent members of the French society visited Tunisia in October to assist the Tunisian affiliate in selecting candidates for the prize.
“This Country that Resembles You,” was published in French earlier this year