Meet the 2024 Combat national des livres contenders
The French-language book debate show will air on Radio-Canada from May 17-20, 2024
The Combat national des livres, a four-day book debate show in French, will air live on Radio-Canada from May 17-20, 2024.
The show will be moderated by Marie-Louise Arsenault, host of Radio-Canada's Tout peut arriver.
The five contenders are each defending books from the region of Canada they represent. These regions are not official regions, but are geographical and metaphorical.
Representing the First Nations, Inuit and Métis nations is actor and artist Jocelyn Sioui. Sioui is championing the French translation of Tomson Highway's Kiss of the Fur Queen titled Le baiser de la Reine blanche, translated by Robert Dickson.
Ontario will be represented by journalist Alison Vicrobeck. Vicrobeck is championing Le prince africain, le traducteur et le nazi by Didier Leclair. Leclerc is also the author of Toronto, I Love You.
The Atlantic region will be represented by actress Diane Losier from New Brunswick. Losier is championing Les Foley by Annie-Claude Thériault. Thériault won the Prix de la nouvelle Radio-Canada in 2015.
Western Canada will be represented by frequent Radio-Canada collaborator David Thibodeau. Thibodeau is championing La version qui n'intéresse personne by Emmanuelle Pierrot.
Quebec will be represented by actress and host Chantal Lamarre. Lamarre is championing Mélasse de fantaisie by Francis Ouellette. Ouellette has won the Prix du récit Radio-Canada twice, in 2019 and 2021.
The Combat national des livres is inspired by Canada Reads. Only Tomson Highway's Kiss of the Fur Queen is available to read in English.
From April 23 to May 20, the public is invited to vote for their favourite book to determine the winner of Combat national des livres, the one book all of Canada should read.
Short story collection Rivières-aux-Cartouches by Sébastien Bérubé won the 2023 edition of Combat national des livres. The book was defended by actor, poet, playwright and singer Gabriel Robichaud who represented the Atlantic region.
