Moroccan novelist Zineb Mekouar has been honored with the Henri de Régnier Prize for Literary Creation Support by the Académie française for her second novel, «Remember the Bees», published by Gallimard. The award was presented on Thursday in Paris. In a formal public ceremony dedicated to literary awards, presided over by the Académie française's Permanent Secretary, Amine Maalouf, the young author received this prestigious accolade amidst applause from academics and attendees. Dominique Bona, the current director of the Académie française, lauded the novel during her presentation, describing it as a story of «transmission, the magic of nature, and wounded love that touched us deeply». She further noted that «its simple, subtle writing impressed us», as it tells the tale of a young boy, prematurely faced with tragedy, who gains ancestral wisdom from his grandfather in a southern Moroccan village, home to «the oldest beehive in the world». Beyond its literary acclaim, Zineb Mekouar's «Remember the Bees» is already making waves in France, captivating readers with the author's distinctive poetic style that gently and subtly addresses climate change. The novel was notably among the Académie Goncourt's «summer 2024 favorites» and was shortlisted for the 2024 Prix Jean Giono. It also won the Folire Prize 2025, emphasizing the importance of mental health in community life. Zineb Mekouar, born in Casablanca in 1991, has been residing in Paris since 2009. Her debut novel, «The Hen and Its Cumin» (JC Lattès, 2022), was a finalist for the 2022 Goncourt Prize for First Novel and featured on the Académie Goncourt's «summer 2022 favorites» list.
