Isabelle Mayault's novel 'Toute la misère du monde' explores asylum narratives in France

Isabelle Mayault's new novel, 'Toute la misère du monde', delves into the violent realities of exile stories, focusing on asylum seekers in France. Published by Éditions Gallimard, the book was released on April 20, 2026. It centers on Sayonara, an assessor at the Cour nationale du droit d’asile in Paris, where individuals from Afghanistan, Guinea, and Chechnya seek refugee status. These applicants must recount their lives to remain in the country. Mayault's work offers a dense, realistic, and human narrative that scrutinizes administrative and judicial mechanisms, avoiding clichés. She was interviewed by Marjorie Bertin on RFI, highlighting the book's immersive quality. The novel invites reflection on the decision-making processes within the justice system, presenting a precise depiction of migration struggles. Another cultural note mentions Solène Gardé's review of a play, 'Le parfait manuel à l'usage des dictateurs', performed at the Théâtre de Belleville in Paris, though this is tangential to Mayault's publication. The article includes a playlist featuring songs by King Paluta with Kwabena Kwabena, and Jonathan Bénisty with Michel Nkouaga, but these are unrelated to the main literary focus.