These authors who are standing out in this literary rentrée – L’Express

With most of the recognized novelists now on the starting line, the games can begin. With one immutable rule, once installed, occupy the field. Albin Michel understood this well who, from the dazzling start of Mélissa Da Costa, strangely scheduled for August 14, in the middle of the literary rentrée, which bristles some publishers, carried out two new printings of 30,000 units after an initial print run of 180,000 copies.

Amélie Nothomb’s 33rd novel benefited from a print run of 200,000 copies right from the start. A just reward for the cornucopia of this same Albin Michel publishing house. No real surprise, except that the press for Queen Amélie is a little late (to date, August 29).

The media have completely ignored him, but Yasmina Khadra has such a fan club that her Almond heart ranks directly at 21st place in the best-seller list. The real sensation comes from the 2nd “Rwandan” novel, Jacaranda, by rapper Gaël Faye, the author of the famous Small country, which occupies the field of bookstores as well as that of the media. Its publisher, Grasset, seizes the opportunity and announces a total print run of 170,000 copies. Enough to stock the shelves…

The Aurélien Bellanger controversy

Another winner of this first round (sales as of August 25, according to Edistat), Maylis de Kerangal, whose Day of surf “havrais” is praised to the skies by an imposing press, The Tribune (with Edouard Philippe as a weaver of praise) Telerama passing by The New Obs – she was even spared by the “wrestlers” of Mask and the Feather August 25. Also in the spotlight, Kamel Daoud and Alice Zeniter (with mixed press), Olivier Guez, Jérôme Ferrari, Abel Quentin, Colm Toibin, Sandrine Collette, Arturo Pérez-Reverte and Nathan Hill are doing well. Missing, for the moment, and champing at the bit, are a few star authors like Emma Becker, Carole Martinez, Philippe Jaenada, Grégoire Bouilllier, and, largely forgotten by the press, Claudie Gallay, Yann Queffélec and Yves Ravey.

We saved the best for last, “the” controversy of this new school year, The Last Days of the Socialist Party (Seuil). With a title like that and a sulphurous theme – a few ex-socialists are transforming France into an Islamophobic and authoritarian country -, Aurélien Bellanger has succeeded in his coup if that was his goal. Thus, among other things, he has unleashed the wrath of the philosopher Raphaël Enthoven, who is one of the main characters alongside Michel Onfray, Laurent Bouvet, Rachel Khan and Caroline Fourest.