Sans capote ni kalachnikov by Blaise Ndala wins Combat national des livres, defended by Marie-Maude Denis

Sans capote ni kalachnikovbyBlaise Ndalahas won the 2019 edition ofCombatnationaldes livres. Radio-Canada investigative journalistMarie-Maude Denis was defending the novel, which was first published in 2017 andis not yet available in English.

Sans capote ni kalachnikov tells the story of aCanadian filmmaker, Vronique Quesnel, who makes a documentary aboutrape victims during the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and of two former rebel soldiers who are seeking to avenge the death of their father. It was a finalist for theTrillium Awardfor French-language fiction and theGrand prix littraire d'Afrique noire, a prestigious French-language African literary prize.

Ndalais originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and came to Canada in 2007. His first book, the novelJ'irai danser sur la tombe de Senghor, came out in 2014 and is currently being adapted as a movie by Franco-Algaerian filmmaker Rachid Bouchareb.

Combatnationaldeslivres,a five-day book debate show in French inspired byCanada Reads, was broadcast live on Radio-Canada from May 6-10, 2019.

The show, which was moderated by Marie-LouiseArsenault, the host ofRadio-Canada'sPlus on est de fous, plus on lit!,featured fivepanellistsadvocating for the one book they believe should win. Each book and panellist represented a different region in Canada.A public vote determined the winner.

"We celebrateDany Laferrire, who made us knowHaiti. We celebrateKim Thy who made us knowVietnam. We now have Blaise Ndala, who makes us know his Congo, his Africa,"Denissaid during the debates, and the commentwas translated by CBC Books. "I want to pay homage to the beauty of his words, the poetry of his sentences and his incredibleculture."

The other contenders were:

• InnusurgeonStanley Vollant,representingthe First Nations, Inuit and Metisnations, defendedManikanetishby Naomi Fontaine
• Journalist Deni Ellis Bchard, representing the West, defendedPauvres petits chagrinsby Miriam Toews
• Writer Manal Drissi, representing Quebec, defendedDe synthsebyKaroline Georges
• Edith Butler, representing the Atlantic region, defendedPour srbyFrance Daigle

Two of the finalists are available in English.Pauvres petits chagrinsis a French translation of Toews' novel All My Puny Sorrows. Pour sr was translated into English asFor Sure.

• Miriam Toews: 5 books that changed my life

Combatdeslivresran annuallyfrom 2004 to 2014, and returned from hiatus in 2018. Other books to have won Combat des livres includeParfum de poussire(De Niro's Game) by Rawi Hage,Aminata(The Book of Negroes) by Lawrence Hill,La Belle Bte(Mad Shadows) byMarie-Claire Blais andLigne brise(The Break) by Katherena Vermette.