Mahir Guven

Mahir Guven was born in 1986 in Nantes. A stateless refugee child, with a mother from Turkey and a Kurdish father from Iraq, he grew up with his grandmother in the south-eastern suburbs of Nantes.

After graduating in Economics, he continued his studies, focusing on subjects such as Law and Economics at the University of Angers, and subsequently in Paris at the Sorbonne and Paris-Sud universities.

Big Brother, his first novel, was published in France in October 2017, garnering excellent reviews and significant accolades (Le Figaro, Lire, L’Express, Ouest-France, Evening, L’Avenir, La Libre), particularly for its subject matter, the story’s distinctive rhythm, and the colloquial language used in working-class neighbourhoods.

The book was shortlisted for the 2017 Médicis Prize, won the Première and Régine Deforges prizes in 2018, and was honoured with the 2018 Goncourt Prize for a first-time author – France’s most prestigious literary award.