Morocco’s Goncourt Choice award was awarded on Saturday, May 9th, in Rabat to the novel “La nuit au Coeur” by Natacha Appanah. As part of the 31st International Publishing and Book Fair, this award seeks to promote contemporary French literature by translating the winning book into Arabic, opening it to wider audiences in Morocco.
This Prize brought together 14 institutions across the kingdom; the French Embassy in Morocco organized it in partnership with the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF).
The Chargé d’affaires of the French Embassy, Charles Thépaut, gave an opening speech about the importance of reading culture and its role in our society. At a time when reading seems overshadowed by the flood of images, Charles Thépaut reminded the significance of literature as a space of thought that shape citizens who respect diverse points of view. By promoting contemporary French-speaking authors, the goal is to encourage a dialogue through reading within a respectful critical discussion. He added that the project also supports linguistic diversity, cultural exchange, and an open, global vision of Francophonie.
The General Director of the French Institute of Morocco, Agnès Humruzian, emphasized the value of the Goncourt Choice in Morocco. Translating the winning work into Arabic is not just an editorial step. It is a key tool to strengthen the circulation of literature, ideas and imagination across horizons and languages. She also highlighted the work of the students and their professors on the jury, who joined this initiative to make the Prize a project of passion and intercultural exchange. Besides, the event aims to promote reading of contemporary French-speaking literature among Moroccan youth and the development of critical debate.
The winner of the prize was Natasha Appanah with her book “La nuit au coeur”, a Mauritian author who published the book under Gallimard in 2025. The story intertwines three stories of women, victims of domestic violence. Natasha Appanah examines the unbearable enigma of marital femicide. Besides “La nuit au coeur”, this Prize also included other books competing in this edition: “Kolkhoze” by Emmanuel Carrière, “Le Bel Obscur” by Caroline Lamarche and “La Maison Vide” by Laurent Mauvignier.
