Former student of the prestigious “khâgne” preparatory class at Lycée Masséna in Nice, Béatrice Bonhomme has just received the 2023 Mallarmé Prize for her collection Monde, Genoux couronnés.
Christian Estrosi was keen to congratulate the writer, stating: “The awarding of the prestigious 2023 Mallarmé Prize to Béatrice Bonhomme, a Niçoise, author, literary critic, and professor at University Nice Côte d’Azur, is a true source of pride! (…) What a beautiful cultural legacy! I warmly congratulate Béatrice Bonhomme on this highly deserved accolade.” Additionally, Béatrice Bonhomme founded the magazine Nu(e) in 1994, thereby establishing her commitment to better recognition of contemporary poetry.
Monde, Genoux couronnés: An Ode to the Beauty of the World
This poetic collection gathers eight sequences intended as a tribute to the beauty of the surrounding world. This work stands as an ode to nature, to our connection with the cosmos. Environment and humanity thus emerge as the key themes of this book.
Here is an excerpt from her poem L’être: “Cuddled in the hollow of nothingness // Yet someone keeps the light.”
Mallarmé Prize, the Holy Grail of French Poets
Béatrice Bonhomme thus rises to the ranks of great names in French poetry, alongside Andrée Chedid (winner in 1976) and Michel Butor (winner in 2006).
Awarded since 1937, this prize honors a living French-speaking poet for a poetic collection written in French.
“The world is made to result in a beautiful book”
Stéphane Mallarmé, French poet of the second half of the 19th century
