Antonythasan Jesuthasan Wins Prix Émile Guimet for Novel 'Salamalecs'

Sri Lankan-born writer and actor Antonythasan Jesuthasan has been awarded the 2026 Prix Émile Guimet de littérature asiatique for his novel 'Salamalecs', published by Zulma and translated from Tamil by Léticia Ibanez. The novel, structured as a reversible book with two entry points, chronicles the experiences of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, particularly the protagonist Nandan, who flees the civil war (1983–2009) and seeks asylum in France. Jesuthasan, a former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who left the group in 1986, draws on his own journey: he arrived in France in 1993 and obtained refugee status. The book's two parts mirror the protagonist's alienation in both Sri Lanka and France, confronting racism and administrative hurdles. Jesuthasan emphasizes that no one is illegal on this earth, a conviction voiced by a character in the novel. He began writing at 16 within the LTTE, composing propaganda poems and plays, and later discovered Western literature in French translation. His inspiration also comes from ancient Tamil literature, such as the Tirukkural and Sangam poetry. The novel is priced at €22.50 and runs 320 pages.