The Comar d’or in French was awarded to Sofiane Ben Farhat for “Le chat et le scalpel”, and in Arabic, to “Kiyamat al Hachachine” by Hédi Timoumi.
A quarter of a century! This is the age of the Comar d’or literary prize, which began 25 years ago and has greatly contributed to the encouragement of novel writing, both in Arabic and French. On Saturday evening, 3 novels in French and 3 novels in Arabic were awarded.
Very few economic companies in Tunisia are committed to supporting the arts and especially literature… 2021 is a celebration of a successful enterprise and support for literary creation for 25 years on an initiative of Mr. Rachid Ben Jemii. In figures, from 1997 to 2020, 74 novels in Arabic and 77 novels in French were awarded.
Present at this restricted ceremony and in strict compliance with sanitary conditions, the Acting Minister of Cultural Affairs Mr. Habib Ammar, Mr. Hakim Ben Yedder, Director General of Comar Insurance and Mr. Lotfi Hadj Kacem, DGA of Comar Insurance.
This 25th edition saw tributes paid to some members of the jury who participated in this extraordinary adventure, such as Mahmoud Tarchouna, Abdelwahed Brahem, Mounira Chapoutot, Rabaa Abdelkefi, Mohamed El Kadhi and Anouar Attia. The winners of this edition are as follows:
Novels in French
- Golden Comar Prize: “The Cat and the Scalpel” by Soufiane Ben Farhat; Nirvana Edition. Jury comment: “A story that evokes the atrocious consequences of the Tunisian revolution of 2011… Which also shines with her pictorial and poetic writing that suggests more than she says”
- Special Jury Prize: “Adieu Maman, redite-moi la vie” by Tahar Ben Meftah, Edition Nirvana. Jury’s comment: “A well-structured novel that keeps the reader in suspense supporting a tension that mobilizes the mind and heart”.
- Discovery Prize: “Obligatory break” by Oualid Hamdi (3 volumes) Zeyneb Edition. Jury comment: “This novel reveals a young novelist, an outstanding storyteller to whom the human soul and its contradictions have no secrets”
Novels in Arabic
- Golden Comar Prize: “Kiyamat al Hachachine” by Hédi Timoumi, Miskilani Edition. Jury comment: “A literary work that has distinguished itself by its linguistic power, its narrative and the originality of its subject”.
- Special Jury Prize: “Tanita” by Abdelkader Eltifi, Miskilani Edition. Jury comment: “A peaceful novel that mixes the sense of observation with suspense and deals with deep human issues.”
- Discovery Prize: “The Nightmares of Paradise” by Fouad Khalifa Chabir, Wachma Edition. Jury’s comment: “A Pandora’s box that never ceases to fill and fill up since humanity has experienced hunger and greed. A novel that tells the story of how the human being widens the gap of his own decadence with a captivating style.”
Rifi-JDD
