Senegalese author Mohamed Mbougar Sarr wins France’s Prix Goncourt

Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, author of Prix Goncourt Winner "The Most Secret Memory of Men" (originally published in French under the title “La plus secrète mémoire des hommes”). Image: Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images

One hundred years after the first Black author was awarded France's most prestigious literary award, the Prix Goncourt, author Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, 31, was announced winner of the 2021 edition for his novel "The Most Secret Memory of Men" (originally published in French under the title “La plus secrète mémoire des hommes”).  

The book tells the story of a young Senegalese writer who discovers a forgotten masterpiece published in 1938 and sets out to find the mysterious author of the work. The search leads the main character to travel the world in order to uncover hidden secrets and answer fundamental questions that most writers come across during their career.

Mohamed Mbougar Sarr was born in Dakar, Senegal and moved to France to attend university where he studied African literature. 

"I feel so much joy," he said when the award was announced. 

Mbougar Sarr is the youngest winner of the coveted prize since 1976. At 31, the young African author already has three other novels under his belt: “Terre ciente” published in English as “Brotherhood”, Silence du chœur (Silence of the Choir), and De purs hommes (Pure Men).

The notorious literary prize has been awarded every year since 1903. Martinican novelist and poet René Maran was the first Black Goncourt laureate in 1921, for his novel “Batouala,” a criticism of the European colonization of Africa.

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