Among the numerous literary events that the Alpes-Maritimes can list, only one can claim the title of “readers’ prize”: it is the Azur prize from the Departmental Council, which this year celebrates its 5th edition.
It is a “unique, specific, original” prize— as defined by its initiator and sponsor, the writer Jean Siccardi, winner of the 2018 Baie des Anges prize for his novel “L’auberge du gué”—who highlighted its popular appeal.
In fact, the organization of the prize is done in collaboration with the departmental libraries that host the jury members, 108 jurors, and organize reading committees, holding meetings once a month from October to May.
This prize is just one among other initiatives that reflect the departmental community’s commitment to reading—a responsibility delegated to the department by law, as reminded by the deputy Eric Ciotti, who was responsible for revealing the winner among the four selected works: it is Jean Baqué—a former policeman!—who was honored for his novel “La fonte des glaces” (P.O.L. publisher).
The author offers us an unusual and funny story about a widowed and retired Toulon butcher who, after purchasing a stuffed emperor penguin from an antique dealer, decides to set out to meet real penguins in Antarctica.
