Rabat – Moroccan writer Zineb Mekouar has won the prestigious Henri de Régnier Prize from the French Academy (Académie Française) for her second novel “Souviens-toi des abeilles” (“Remember the Bees”), published by Gallimard.
The award was announced on Thursday as part of the Academy’s 2025 literary prize list.
The Henri de Régnier Prize is given as support for literary creation. It is one of 71 prizes awarded this year by the French Academy to honor achievements in literature, poetry, history, philosophy, cinema, music, and more.
“I’m very moved to receive this beautiful prize, given by the French Academy, an institution I admire and respect immensely,” Mekouar said in a statement to Morocco’s state news agency MAP.
The author explained that the prize shines a light on both her writing and the themes explored in the novel, such as motherly love and the urgent need to care for the Earth.
Set in the ancient collective beehive of Inzerki in Morocco, which is considered the world’s oldest and largest traditional apiary, “Souviens-toi des abeilles” also pays tribute to local Moroccan heritage. Mekouar dedicated this prize to the people of Inzerki, who she said welcomed her so warmly.
The novel has already received acclaim in France for its poetic style and delicate treatment of climate change issues. It was one of the French Academy Goncourt’s summer 2024 favorites and appeared on the first selection list for the 2024 Jean Giono Prize.
In addition, “Souviens-toi des abeilles” won the 2025 Folire Prize, which spotlights the connection between mental health and community life.
Born in Casablanca in 1991, Mekouar has lived in Paris since 2009. Her first novel, “La poule et son cumin” (“The Hen and Its Cumin”), published by JC Lattès in 2022, was a finalist for the Goncourt Prize for First Novels and was also selected as a summer favorite by the Goncourt Academy in 2022.
