PRIX DU ROMAN VERSION FEMINA 2023

PRIX DE LA LITTÉRATURE ARABE 2023

PRIX AMERIGO VESPUCCI 2023

PRIX SENGHOR 2023

Sold in a heated five-way auction to Lattès, Feurat Alani’s debut novel tells the intimate story of one family with the imposing history of Iraq as its backdrop.

Euphrate never had the chance to get to know his father; to really know him. While Rami was dependable, reliable and provided for his family he rarely spoke of his childhood in Iraq or of his family. That is until now, as Rami lies on his deathbed in the hospital.

In room 219, Rami tells Euphrate his story, that of his childhood in Iraq, of his loving mother who died too soon, of his nasty step-mother who made his life miserable, his siblings, step-siblings, distant father and best friend Hatim. His is the story of the Iraq before the world knew it because of Sadam Hussein. His is the harrowing story of a young man struggling to find security and happiness in a world that doesn’t seem to care much about him.

Euphrate honors his father by narrating those stories that he revealed in room 219. He depicts the events that led Rami to being imprisoned in Iraq in the early 70s and then, once released, how he made his way to France where he sought asylum. Rami’s story becomes Euphrate’s story, that of a young Parisian boy who has trouble fitting in. They are a family of immigrants, already different by definition, but even more so because they come from a place nobody else comes from. When war breaks out in Iraq in the early 90s, Euphrate realizes that in a different world, he should’ve been living within the destruction of that war. But he didn’t, he lived in peace, which leads to the constant feeling of not being in his place, of being illegitimate, of feeling guilt.

When it comes down to it, Rami just wants to know whether or not he succeeded in life. It’s an impossible question, how does one quantify success? Euphrate’s story about his father is an attempt to posthumously provide the answer. In this vivid and powerful novel, Feurat Alani evokes the questions of identity, transmission, exile, father-son relationships and the heavy burden passed down from one generation to the next in a family that fled a dictatorship.

Feurat Alani, born in Paris in 1980, was awarded the Prix Albert-Londres, France’s most prestigious journalism prize, in 2019 for his graphic novel Le Parfum d’Irak (Arte Editions/Editions Nova 2018) which was translated into German and Arabic .

Feurat has over 15 years of experience reporting on a wide range of countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. He is the writer and producer of numerous articles and documentary films for the media in France (Le Monde Diplomatique, Arte, Canal Plus, France Television, France24), the USA (Wall Street Journal) and Canada (Radio Canada). He currently resides in Dubai.