“sensitivity readers” at the heart of a controversy before the Goncourt Prize

2023-09-08 18:30:08

Tuesday, September 5, Kevin Lambert could not get over being among the sixteen authors selected for the first selection of the Goncourt Prize, and the agitation immediately caused by the possibility of him receiving the most prestigious of French literary prizes: “I feel like I’m going down the rapids, with ups, downs, and completely unexpected elements”confided the Quebec writer in the Canadian newspaper The Press.

He didn’t think he was saying that well. Two days later, the 30-year-old outsider found himself at the heart of an unexpected controversy launched by Nicolas Mathieu, himself Prix Goncourt 2018 for Their children after them (South Acts). Attack on Instagram, outraged reactions, attempt at appeasement… Enough to spice up the literary season, around a fairly explosive subject in the world of publishing: the « sensitivity readers ».

These proofreaders responsible for tracking down in the manuscripts passages or situations likely to offend minorities, in particular ethnic or sexual minorities, are they useful or detestable? Supporters, or censors? In North America, the use of these editorial deminers has grown considerably in recent years. In France, the practice remains rare. A discrepancy which explains the controversy born around Kevin Lambert and his third novel, May our joy remainportrait of a star architect published in France by Le Nouvel Attila, a house which depends on Le Seuil (Média Participations).

Fruitful collaboration

It all started at the beginning of September, when Le Nouvel Attila devoted a post on Instagram to the collaboration between Kevin Lambert and one of these « sensitivity readers ». The objective was to “stick as close as possible to reality, be as fair as possible”, says the publisher. The writer, quoted in the post, is delighted that Chloé Savoie-Bernard, a poet and professor of literature of Quebec and Haitian origin, has “contributed to the editing of the book”.

“I wanted to have his point of view, especially for the character of Pierre-Moïse, director of Ateliers C/W, also of Haitian origin, he explains. Even if I also do research on stereotypes linked to minoritized characters in fiction, I don’t have the compass in my eye and I can always be wrong. Chloe made sure that I didn’t say too much nonsense, that I didn’t fall into certain traps of the representation of black people by white authors. She also helped me to support this character, to deepen it, to make it more complex. » Then he generalizes his point: “Sensitive reading, contrary to what the reactionaries say, is not censorship. It amplifies the freedom of writing and the richness of the text. (…) I plan to work in this way for all my next novels. »

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