The Medici Prize was awarded to Nathalie Azoulai for Titus didn’t like Berenice, published by P.O.L.
In her latest novel, Nathalie Azoulai revisits with great intelligence, subtle scholarship, spirit and sensitivity the racial tragedy. We discover a Berenice today abandoned by a modern Titus. To ease her sorrow, she turned to her sister of the Great Century, the one whose pain Racine somehow immortalized.
This will give rise to a very beautiful meditation on language, on this “other dimension” that allows words to say the unspeakable, on the double mystery of their power of evocation and the extraordinary capacity of a man, Racine, to say love passion, as a woman can live it and even suffer it.
Titus didn’t like Berenice, but we love Nathalie Azoulai’s beautiful book.