The second novel by author and journalist Dominique Scali Sailors do can’t swim wins the Jacques-Brossard 2023 prize, awarded each year for a work of Quebec fiction in the genres of the imagination. In recent days, she has also won the Prix des libraires du Québec 2023, in the novel-short stories-narrative category, an honor accompanied by a $10,000 scholarship, as well as the Imaginales prize, the first prize exclusively devoted to the genre. fantastic in France. In her universe, which unfolds over 728 pages, the Montreal novelist immerses us in maritime adventures.
Halfway between The little Mermaid and the oceanic amplitude of Victor Hugo, the story revolves around Danae Berrubé-Portanguen, known as Poussin. This orphan breathes the sea air on Ys, a fictional island lost in the middle of the North Atlantic, equidistant from Europe and America, in the middle of an 18th century.e equally “alternative” century. In this false historical novel, two classes clash: the inhabitants of the City and the “residents”, the left behind born “on the wrong side of the wall” and at the mercy of the high tides which hit the island twice. the year.
On this lost rock, Poussin has the gift of swimming, a rare fact among his fellow citizens. This extraordinary power allows her to play the heroine of shipwrecked people or even the looter of wrecks in a world steeped in aquatic vocabulary.
This universe built around a language nourished by the maritime environment seduced the judges of the Jacques-Brossard prize. “We believe in the language, raspy and ancient, used by sailors. It is really this language which gives its flavor to the novel”, underlined in chorus the members of the jury in the press release announcing the award ceremony. “Through a colossal work where the depth of the characters and reflection on the social fabric intertwine, the author creates a completed underworld, a monumental work. »
“Thank you to the juries fond of imaginary literature”, commented the main interested party after receiving her three prizes. “No, the imagination is not just for children or for entertainment. It’s not just a “genre” literature that only addresses its fans. It can also be quality literature that blurs the boundaries of categories, essential literature that shapes us and helps us reshape the world. I am particularly proud to be part of this line. »
Dominique Scali’s first novel, New Babylon, published in 2015, won the Festival du premier roman de Chambéry in 2016 and was a finalist for three major literary prizes. More than seven years passed between his two opuses.
The other finalists for the Jacques-Brossard award were The thread of lifea novel by Elsa Pépin, and Awakening in Kitchike, a novel by Louis-Karl Picard-Sioui. The members of the jury evaluated 15 novels and 41 short stories from all of Quebec’s literary production of the imaginary for the year 2022. Mme Scali receives a $3,000 scholarship for this distinction.