Dany Laferrière wins the 2026 prix Athanase-David

Haitian-Quebec writer Dany Laferrière is the 2026 laureate of the prix Athanase-David, the Quebec government's highest literary distinction. He is one of the 16 Prix du Québec laureates announced on Tuesday, October 27.

According to The Canadian Press, as carried by Radio-Canada, the prize goes to him "for having enriched Quebec literature with an exceptional body of work, in the line of our greatest authors and intellectuals" (translated from French). The author of "L'énigme du retour" said he was honoured by an award that, he said, "is based on time, in a world that rushes toward the latest arrival."

"I am receiving this prize 40 years after the release of my first book, which has just been republished," he said, according to Chokarella and Rezo Nòdwès. He added: "That is the Athanase-David spirit: giving time and the art of doing things well their full value back."

A $30,000 award

According to the Quebec government's release, each laureate receives a tax-free award of $30,000, a silver medal, a calligraphed parchment and a gold-plated silver pin. Only the Hubert-Reeves prize, for early-career scientists, carries $10,000. According to Chokarella, the award ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, November 24.

Culture Minister Pascal Bérubé praised "women and men" who "enrich our culture." His colleague for Economic Development, Stéphane Paquet, said "these exceptional people inspire the next generation."

On the cultural side, filmmaker Bernard Émond receives the prix Albert-Tessier and Pierre Séguin, director of "La petite vie," the prix Guy-Mauffette. Also honoured are choreographer Sylvain Émard, pianist Louise Bessette, Marie-Josée Lacroix (design), Isabelle Clerc (French language), historian Joanne Burgess and artist Lyne Lapointe. Seven science prizes complete the list, including the prix Wilder-Penfield to Nada Jabado and the prix Marie-Victorin to Nathalie Tufenkji.

From Port-au-Prince to the Académie française

Born in Port-au-Prince on April 13, 1953, Dany Laferrière worked as a journalist in Haiti before leaving the country in 1976, after the murder of his friend and colleague Gasner Raymond, the Académie française recalls. He then settled in Montreal.

His first novel, "Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer" ("How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired"), came out in 1985. He has since published about forty titles, including "L'énigme du retour," winner of the 2009 Prix Médicis, and "Tout bouge autour de moi" (2010), about the January 12, 2010 earthquake.

Elected to the Académie française on December 12, 2013, to seat No. 2, he was formally received on May 28, 2015.