Romanian writer Liliana Lazar was awarded the Prize of the five continents of Francophonie, on Friday, during a ceremony held at the Château de Chillon, Montreux (Switzerland), in the context of the 13th Congress of the Francophonie.

For the first time since the establishment of this award in 2001, a Romanian writer, Liliana Lazar, was named winner, for her debut novel "Terre des Affranchis' (Gaia Publishing House). The nobel laureate Jean-Marie Le Clézio, a member of the jury, described the book as "one of the most original novels of recent years."

The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Theodor Baconschi, who attended the awards ceremony, emphasized in his speech the special significance of this award, both for Liliana Lazar's personal literary career, as well as "as an important achievement that enriches the Romanian culture." He recalled in this context "a number of great writers and philosophers of Romanian origin, such as Anna de Noailles, Eugene Ionesco, Panait Istrati, Tristan Tzara and Emil Cioran, who wrote in French, gaining an international reputation."

AGERPRES