Clément : rencontre avec Romain Lemire et Céline Rastello

On Thursday 26 November 2026, at 19h30, come meet Romain Lemire, the author of Clément, winner of the Prix Goncourt for debut novel 2026. The meeting will be moderated by Céline Rastello, journalist at Le Nouvel Obs, and followed by a book signing with Librairie l'Atelier Jourdain .

"Of course Romain Lemire's book is sober, moving, committed, but above all, it is salutary." François Morel

It is the story of a happy childhood, that of Clément.

It is the portrait of his loving and cultured family, between a literature teacher father and an editor mother, where everything seems to go for the best. It is the lively and colorful chronicle of his friendships, his loves, his desires and his dreams. It is France in the eighties.

But it is also the story of an ordinary crime, incest, and a deafening silence. From this heartbreak arises a feeling of loneliness among others, of doubt, of wandering, which alters his perception of the world and his relationship to life.

Driven by writing of impressive accuracy and frankness that evolves across the narrator's ages, Clément draws in, surprises, moves and, ultimately, illuminates. For despite the drama, against all odds, it affirms the possibility of joy.

Céline Rastello, journalist in the Investigations department of Le Nouvel Obs, has been working on gender-based and sexual violence for more than ten years. She will speak with Romain Lemire about his work, which is as remarkable as it is necessary.

→ Online registration recommended

Clément by Romain Lemire, published by Le Cherche-Midi, published on 09 April 2026 ; Credits: DR