The Abdelwaheb Ben Ayed Foundation organised the literature prize ceremony on Sunday 19 November 2023 at the Cité de la Culture. The aim of this annual literary competition is to promote Tunisian books, particularly among young people, and to encourage authors, publishers and book distributors.
Chaired by Mohamed Khenissi, the jury rewarded several writers in four categories:
- Prize for a novel or collection of short stories in Arabic: Abir Gasmi and Kamel Zakour for "Point Zéro",
- Prize for a novel or collection of short stories in French: Zinelabidine Benaïssa for "Sherlock à Tunis",
- Prize for essay in Arabic or French: Fethi Lissir for "Covid 19",
- Youth Comics Prize: Kathoum Ayachia for "Naira".
Summary of the novel "Point Zéro" by Abir Gasmi and Jamel Zakour:
"A mysterious and solitary explorer criss-crosses the Sahara in search of the black locusts that have turned his life upside down and which he believes will bring about a cataclysm. Haunted by the quest for their origin, fascinated by an obscure and overwhelming force, he can only go deeper into the desert, convinced that he can face the end of the world alone... At night, Imashek, the spirit of the desert, comes to keep him company and tries to convince him of the absurdity of his plan. "Everything has an end", he keeps telling him. But it takes the explorer a while to understand that an end can give rise to a new beginning, and that the end of his world does not necessarily mean the end of the world. An intimate tale, an existential question and a reflection on today's world, Point Zéro blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Tales from the desert, memories and hallucinations blend together in a skilful alternation of black and white and colour, clear line and charcoal".