Nina Bouraoui Publishes 'Championne,' a Novel of Liberation Through Words

Nina Bouraoui, the French author who won the prix Renaudot for Mes mauvaises pensées, has released a new novel titled Championne with the publisher JC Lattès, dated 12/10/2026. The book is a powerful monologue of nearly 300 pages that immerses readers in the rebellious and tormented mind of a 16-year-old girl whose name is never given, nor is the country where she lives. She describes herself as living in the land of mad people within a family of mad people, and the uninterrupted flow of her thoughts carries the reader from the first words with the same energy she uses to strike a tennis ball against a wall. She analyzes, dissects, and ruminates on what made her a wounded soul, shaped by the anger of a father or the misplaced love of a mother. This wounded girl trains to become a champion and above all wants to become herself. Nina Bouraoui was a guest of Nathalie Amar on RFI. The novel Championne is published by JC Lattès. In the same program, Marjorie Bertin introduced the countess Anna de Noailles, described as subversive, sparkling, a lover, a rebel, and a wounded soul, also known as a friend of Proust, Colette, and Cocteau. Solène Gardré presented the play Salma, mon amour by Ahmed El Attar, which tells the story of a wealthy Egyptian family. The day's playlist included Girls School with 'Race With the Devil' and Nour Helmi with 'Egypte'.