A decision was reached by a jury composed of eight students from eight Portuguese universities, chaired by French writer and filmmaker Philippe Claudel, the president of the Goncourt Academy, during a session held at the French Embassy in Lisbon.
Rapper, singer, author, composer, and performer Gaël Faye has penned a novel depicting, through the eyes of four generations, the harrowing story of Rwanda, a nation striving for dialogue and forgiveness despite its history. Like the jacaranda tree standing between darkness and light, it celebrates humanity, according to the award’s jury.
“Jacaranda” follows Milan, a young Franco-Rwandan who grew up in Versailles, France, during the 1990s. As the son of a Tutsi mother and a French father, Milan witnesses the horrors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide—his mother’s homeland—via television during his childhood.
Faced with his mother’s persistent silence about the past and driven to understand his roots and family history, Milan travels as an adult to Rwanda. There, he connects with childhood friends and survivors who assist him in piecing together the past, while reflecting on identity, memory, and trauma’s legacy.
Throughout the narrative, Milan uncovers secrets hidden in the jacaranda’s shadow and confronts the silences pervading post-genocide Rwandan society.
The novel spans four generations and alternates between Versailles, Kigali, Butare, and Kibuye, near Lake Kivu.
The Portuguese edition of “Jacaranda” will be available in bookstores in July, published by Relógio d’Água with financial support from the book publication program of Institut Français Paris.
Having already won the Renaudot Prize, “Jacaranda” was chosen by Portuguese students out of four finalist works for the Goncourt Prize 2024.
Other finalists included “Madelaine avant l’aube” by Sandrine Collette, “Archipels” by Hélène Gaudy, and “Houris” by Kamel Daoud, winner of the Goncourt Prize, later embroiled in controversy over allegations of using the story of a patient of his psychiatrist wife for his novel.
The Choix Goncourt du Portugal acts as a “public prize” where university students specializing in French language and comparative literature select the winning work from four finalists of the latest Goncourt Prize edition, in this case, 2024.
In total, the Choix Goncourt du Portugal included 32 students of French language and comparative literature, participated by their professors, from the eight participating Portuguese universities: University of Algarve, University of Lisbon, Nova University of Lisbon, University of Aveiro, University of Madeira, University of Coimbra, University of Porto, and University of Minho.
Initially, university students debate and select their choice among peers and professors at their respective universities. Subsequently, a representative from each university forms the national jury responsible for selecting the winning work.
This edition marked the third year of Choix Goncourt du Portugal. Last year, the chosen novel was “Joey” by Jean-Baptiste Andrea, which also won the Goncourt Prize.
