(Paris) The Interallié prize was awarded on Wednesday to Mathieu Palain for his book on an athlete who went to prison for thefts, Don’t stop running (Editions of the Iconoclast).
Don’t stop running tells the story of Toumany Coulibaly, French champion in the 400 meters indoor in 2015, fell into delinquency with serial burglaries.
Mathieu Palain, journalist and author, has in common with him being born the same year, in 1988, and having grown up in the southern Parisian suburbs, in Essonne. The book is the result of meetings in the visiting room and the friendship that was born from it.
“It’s completely unexpected […] This is the first time that I have found myself in literary prize lists ”, the winner told reporters.
Toumany Coulibaly is released from prison today and has read the book. “He’s having a hard time reading it. He told me at the beginning: I opened it, I read two lines, I closed it, I spent sleepless nights like that… But he read it and he is able today to defend it. We did interviews together where he says: this is my story. There are a lot of things in the book that he doesn’t like, but that’s his story ”.
Mathieu Palain won in the second round with five votes, announced Philippe Tesson the president of the jury – composed of journalists and writers – in a restaurant in the Champs-Élysées district where this award is traditionally awarded.
Voices also went to Stéphane Hoffmann (We don’t talk about love anymore), who was a finalist, as well as Christophe Donner (France goy) and Lilia Hassaine (Bitter sun) that were not.