Princess Marie presents Literature Prize to Gaël Faye in Copenhagen

This morning, Princess Marie presented the Literature Prize awarded by ambassadors of French-speaking countries to French-Rwandan writer Gaël Faye as Patron. Read more below.

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I lokalet "Akvariet" på Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium i København overrakte Hendes Kongelige Højhed Prinsesse Marie i formiddags De frankofone landes ambassadørers litteraturpris til den fransk-rwandanesiske forfatter Gaël Faye for romanen Lille Land. Prinsessen er protektor for De frankofone landes ambassadørers litteraturpris, som er skabt af ambassadørerne for de lande med diplomatisk repræsentation i Danmark, der er medlemmer af Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. Prisen sætter fokus på kulturel mangfoldighed og øger kendskabet til kulturen i de fransksprogede lande. Med prisen følger 10.000 kroner. Hendes Kongelige Højhed er protektor for prisen, der tidligere har været Prins Henriks protektion. 📸 HANNE JUUL / ALLER FOTO OG VIDEO ©

A post shared by DET DANSKE KONGEHUS 🇩🇰 (@detdanskekongehus) on Nov 6, 2019 at 8:38am PST

Princess Marie is Patron of the award since 2011 . Prince Henrik was Patron before her. The Prize aim to honor literary works in French translated into Danish, which helps to promote cultural diversity and dissemination of modern French-language literature in Denmark. The Prize was created in 2002 by the ambassadors in Denmark of the countries taking part in the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), or the countries in which French language has a big influence.

Tillykke! Den frankofone litteraturpris (Prix Littéraire des Ambassadeurs de la
Francophonie) er nu blevet tildelt til den fransk-rwandiske forfatter og rapper Gaël
Faye for sin roman Petit pays, oversat til dansk Lille land -en ærefuld
pris overrakt af H.K.H. Prinsesse Marie. pic.twitter.com/t6OCss1vzI

— Institut français DK (@ifdanemark) November 6, 2019

This year’s winner is “Petit Pays” (“Small Country”) by French-Rwandian write Gaël Faye. Faye is also a singer-songwriter. When the book was released in France back in 2016 , it was very successful and Faye won several awards for it including the prestigious Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, the younger sibling to the prestigious Prix Goncourt which has the same aim of honoring the author of the best and most imaginative prose work of the year in French literature but the difference is that the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens is chosen by high school students out of the 12 finalists chosen by the Academie Goncourt.

Den frankofone litteraturpris bliver hvert
andet år tildelt en fransksproget bog, der for nyligt er blevet oversat til dansk. Et smukt symbol
på den litterære og kulturelle udveksling mellem Danmark og Frankrig! Tak til alle de
frankofone landes ambassadører i DK! pic.twitter.com/chbqijQIo4

— Institut français DK (@ifdanemark) November 6, 2019

The book was translated in Danish in 2018 with the title “Lille Land” and was very successful. “Petit Pays” is set in Burundi and Rwanda and tell the story of ten-years-old Gaby who witness the start of the civil war and genocide in Rwanda and Burundi, shattering his innocence. While the book is based on Faye’s own experiences growing up in Burundi at the time, Faye has always said that it is not strictly autobiographical. Students from the Lycée Francais Prins Henrik also attended the event.

Propos éloquents de @GaelFaye

La puissance des paroles.
La violence de classer les gens.
Mémoire et justice, 2 jambes qui marchent ensemble.

Son oeuvre #PetitPays decerné #Prixlitteraire d’Ambs francophones par SAR Princesse Marie avec élèves @lyceeFrancaisPH. #francophonie pic.twitter.com/TTHXPgw6nt

— Emi Furuya (@emifuruya1) November 6, 2019

Princess Marie wore an old Emporio Armani purple double breasted blazer which she first wore at the same event in 2013 with an old ufo purple top from 2011 and blue trousers.

She paired the outfit with her Jimmy Choo ‘Romy’ navy suede pumps and her Naledi Copenhagen purple clutch.