Literary Prize Evok Collection

A finalist for the Evok Collection Literary Prize, “Le Lit clos”, published in 2025, takes us into the heart of the 1924 sardine workers’ strike in Douarnenez. Rose and Louise, two very different women, meet in the midst of this struggle. Within the enclosed bed a private, secret space they discover the freedom to be themselves, to think, to love, and to desire. A powerful novel about women’s courage and their fight for emancipation.

A finalist for the Evok Collection Literary Prize, “Célèbre”, published in 2025, follows Cléo, a woman thrust into the spotlight. Through her daily life, the novel explores the inner workings of fame its codes, its excesses, and its impact on the private self.

Finalist for the Evok Collection Literary Prize, “Impardonnable”, published in 2025,  weaves together the voices of Anna, the mother of a victim, and Paul, the man responsible for a hit-and-run. Two lives upended by a shared tragedy, with the question of forgiveness running silently beneath it all. A powerful novel about guilt, justice, and what remains unspoken.

Finalist for the Evok Collection Literary Prize, “Tout le bruit du Guéliz”, published in 2025, is a debut novel weaving together stories of exile, tradition, fragile connections, and identities lost in the noise of the present. Through the streets of Marrakech and the echoes of memory, Ruben Barrouk crafts a fragmented tapestry where the personal meets the universal.

Emmanuelle De Boysson and Tristane Banon talk about the 2024 Evok Collection Literary Prize, starting with the first reading “Ceux qui nous appartiennent” by Emma Doude van Troostwijk.

Finalist for the 2024 Evok Collection Literary Prize, Joseph Incardona reflects on “Stella et l’Amérique”, his novel published in 2024, in conversation with Anne-Marie Revol.

Finalist for the 2024 Evok Collection Literary Prize, Caroline Caugant reflects on “Insula”, her novel published in 2024, in conversation with Anne-Marie Revol.

Finalist for the 2024 Evok Collection Literary Prize, Denis Infante reflects on “Rousse”, his novel published in 2024, in conversation with Anne-Marie Revol.

Finalist for the 2024 Evok Collection Literary Prize, Marie Charrel reflects on “La fille de Lake Placid”, her novel published in 2024, in conversation with Anne-Marie Revol.

The jury of the Evok Literary Prize has chosen to honor Nathalie Azoulai’s book “La Fille parfaite”, published in 2022. The jury members were moved by the tumultuous friendship between Rachel and Adèle, a subtle blend of deep connection and profound unease. One fine June morning, when Rachel learns that Adèle, her lifelong friend, has taken her own life, she feels both stunned and strangely relieved. From this ambivalence, Rachel begins to investigate, questioning what could have driven someone as seemingly perfect as Adèle to end her life so violently.

Winner of the Evok Collection Literary Prize, David Thomas delivers Partout les autres, a striking short story collection published in 2023. Unfulfilled love, quiet violence, cherished places, a philosophical rat, and cherry pits across sixty stories, the author captures the raw, imperfect essence of humanity. Like a mirror held up in silence and truth, the book reflects our nature without artifice. The jury was deeply moved by this sensitive and singular exploration of the human condition.

The jury of the 5th Evok Collection Literary Prize awarded “Ce que je sais de toi”, the debut novel by Éric Chacour. Set within Cairo’s Levantine community, the book follows a man’s search for truth through bold and skillful storytelling. The jury praised its refined writing full of humor, sensuality, and delicacy as well as the author’s deep understanding of human nature.

« Ceinture » published by Céline Robert, published by Éditions Calmann-Lévy, this is a delicate and daring debut novel. Laureen is cheating on her husband with Maxime, whose wife falls in love with the babysitter… All the characters are connected, like the notches of a belt. An intimate exploration of romantic ties, desire, fidelity, and everything that binds or slips away from us. A tense, sensual, and brilliantly crafted novel.

Finalist for the Evok Collection Literary Prize, “Habibi Beyrouth”, published in 2026, is a debut novel exploring exile, belonging, and the search for one’s roots across fractured identities. Between the streets of Beirut and the echoes of a life lived between two worlds, Manal Salamé crafts a deeply evocative narrative where personal memory illuminates the wounds of a nation and the universal longing for home.

Finalist for the Evok Collection Literary Prize, “La Promesse de Leiba”, published in 2026, is a debut novel exploring memory, transmission, and the invisible legacies that history leaves on individual lives. Through an expansive narrative shaped by exile, love, and unwavering devotion, Claude Tovel Posternak crafts a story where the search for one’s origins becomes a universal meditation on the promises that endure across generations.

Finalist for the Evok Collection Literary Prize, “La Petite Fille au ruban bleu”, published in 2026, is a compelling work of narrative non-fiction weaving together historical investigation, family memory, and the extraordinary fate of an iconic painting. Through the forgotten life of Irène Cahen d’Anvers, immortalized by Renoir, Natalie David-Weill resurrects a vanished world where the brilliance of Parisian high society gives way to the tragedies of the twentieth century, restoring the voice of a woman long eclipsed by history.

Finalist for the Evok Collection Literary Prize, “Sainte Emmerderesse”, published in 2026, is a witty and exuberant debut novel blending magical realism, biting satire, and feminist rebellion. Through the intertwined lives of four unlikely companions brought together by the resurrection of a mischievous, irreverent saint, Audrey Alwett crafts a modern fable where defiance becomes a force for change, celebrating solidarity, difference, and the courage to reclaim one’s own destiny.

Finalist for the Evok Collection Literary Prize, “L’art du ricochet”, published in 2026, is a poignant and darkly humorous novel about resilience, memory, and the art of moving forward. As Kolia is driven handcuffed through Moldova after an unexpected arrest, he revisits the disappointments, losses, and encounters that have shaped his life, weaving together an intimate reflection on human fragility and our enduring capacity to bounce back, even in the face of personal and collective tragedy.

Take a look back at the 2026 Evok Collection Literary Award ceremony, which honored author Souad Benkirane for her novel “Une femme sur le toit”, published by Mercure de France. A deeply human story offering a sensitive portrayal of contemporary Morocco through the journey of a woman striving for freedom.