Romain Lemire wins Goncourt First Novel Prize for incest memoir 'Clément'

Romain Lemire, a French author, lyricist, and singer, has published 'Clément', an autofictional novel that breaks the taboo of incest. The book recounts the abuse he and his brothers suffered from their father, a respected literature professor, starting in July 1983. Lemire researched the work by reviewing 25 years of diaries, 15 years of photographs, and all his letters. The narrative shifts perspectives: first-person childhood diary from birth on June 25, 1976, at Port-Royal maternity hospital in Paris, then adult first-person, third-person, and finally epistolary exchanges with family. 'Clément' won the Prix Goncourt du Premier roman. The book highlights that in France, a child is a victim of incest every three minutes, a global scourge. The novel was published by Le Cherche-Midi.