Maylis de Kerangal, laureate of the 2010 Prix Médicis, will discuss with us her novel Birth of a bridge recently translated into English.

Maylis de Kerangal publishes her first novel Je marche sous un ciel de traîne in 2000, quickly followed by La Vie voyageuse in 2003, Ni fleurs, ni couronnes in 2006, Dans les rapides in 2007 and Corniche Kennedy in 2008. The latest is nominated for the Prix Médicis or the Prix Fémina in 2008. In the meantime, she creates Le Baron Perché Publishers, specialised in novels for young adults, where she works from 2004 to 2008 before dedicating herself to writing. She also participates to the magazine Inculte.

Her novel Birth of a Bridge is published in 2010. According to her, « this is a kind of Western, in other words a novel foundation, and the reference to this genre operates in the text; the writing works in a wide shot, move around sky, landscapes, subjects, men, and tightens its focal length to the heroes who are always caught up in the action, in the need to react to a situation.». On November 3, 2010, the novel was the winner of the Prix Médicis but also the Prix Franz Hessel –from which she benefited a translation in German, published in 2012 by Suhrkamp. The novel was also nominated for the Prix Femina, Goncourt and Flore.

In 2011, she takes part of the Book Fair in Beyrouth during BIEL (Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center). In 2012, she is awarded the Prix Landerneau for her novel Tangente vers l'est.