Prix Médicis
1 appearances
-
Edition 28 (2012) Winner
David Van Reybrouck
デイヴィッド・ヴァン・レイブロック
David Van Reybrouck
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1971-09-11 （Bruges, Belgium）
- Nationality
- Belgium
- Languages
- Dutch, English
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Cultural historian, Archaeologist, Playwright, Columnist
- Active Years
- 2000-2025
- Affiliations
- Contributor to De Morgen (newspaper)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leiden University | — | Prehistory / Archaeology | 博士（PhD） | 1996–2000 | Netherlands |
Leiden University
Prehistory / Archaeology
Degree:
博士（PhD）
Period:
1996–2000
Year of Graduation:
2000
Country:
Netherlands
Doctoral dissertation on the history of ethnographic and primatological analogies in the study of prehistory.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Taalunie Toneelschrijfprijs | — | — | Taalunie (Dutch Language Union) | 受賞 |
| 2008 | Ark Prize of the Free Word | Missie (play) | — | Ark Prize of the Free Word | 受賞 |
| 2010 | AKO Literature Prize | Congo | — | AKO | 受賞 |
| 2010 | Libris History Prize | Congo | — | Libris | 受賞 |
| 2012 | Prix Médicis essai | Congo | essai | Prix Médicis | 受賞 |
| 2014 | Gouden Ganzenveer | — | — | Gouden Ganzenveer | 受賞 |
| 2015 | Doctor Honoris Causa | — | — | Saint-Louis University, Brussels | 授与 |
| 2017 | European Book Prize | Zink | fiction（受賞作はノンフィクションだがフィクション部門で受賞） | European Book Prize | 受賞 |
| 2018 | European Press Prize | — | — | European Press Prize | ノミネート |
| 2025 | Goethe Medal | — | — | Goethe-Institut / Goethe Society | 受賞 |
Taalunie Toneelschrijfprijs
2004
Organization:
Taalunie (Dutch Language Union)
Result:
受賞
Ark Prize of the Free Word
2008
Work:
Missie (play)
Organization:
Ark Prize of the Free Word
Result:
受賞
AKO Literature Prize
2010
Work:
Congo
Organization:
AKO
Result:
受賞
Libris History Prize
2010
Work:
Congo
Organization:
Libris
Result:
受賞
Prix Médicis essai
2012
Work:
Congo
Category:
essai
Organization:
Prix Médicis
Result:
受賞
Gouden Ganzenveer
2014
Organization:
Gouden Ganzenveer
Result:
受賞
Doctor Honoris Causa
2015
Organization:
Saint-Louis University, Brussels
Result:
授与
European Book Prize
2017
Work:
Zink
Category:
fiction（受賞作はノンフィクションだがフィクション部門で受賞）
Organization:
European Book Prize
Result:
受賞
European Press Prize
2018
Organization:
European Press Prize
Result:
ノミネート
Goethe Medal
2025
Organization:
Goethe-Institut / Goethe Society
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Cundill History Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 7 (2014) Winner
European Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 19 (2017) Winner
Works
Major Works
De Plaag (The Plague)
Fiction / TravelogueAn early work blending travelogue and whodunnit elements, set in post-apartheid South Africa.
Post-colonialismSocial changeIndividual fate
Congo: The Epic History of a People
2010 Historical non-fictionBased on multiple journeys, archive work and hundreds of interviews, the book narrates the history of Congo from slavery and colonialism to resistance and survival.
ColonialismResistanceMemory and history
Translations
- English (trans. Sam Garrett)
- French translation
- German translation
- Italian translation
- Norwegian translation
- Polish translation
- Swedish translation
- Danish translation
- Finnish translation
Against Elections: The Case for Democracy
2016 Political essayAn essay arguing for deliberative democracy and the use of sortition as an alternative to electoral representative systems.
Democratic theoryDeliberationInstitutional reform
Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World
2020 Historical non-fictionExamines Indonesia's rise to modernity through interviews and archival work, addressing independence, political shifts and the 1965–66 killings.
Independence from colonialismMemory of violencePersonal testimony in history
Zink
2016 Essay 47 pagesA short essay about Neutral Moresnet that reflects on borders and identity through an atypical subject.
BordersIdentityPeripheral history
Bibliography
- 2000, From Primitives to Primates (doctoral dissertation)
- De Plaag (early novel)
- 2008, Missie (play)
- 2010, Congo: Een geschiedenis
- 2016, Zink (essay)
- 2016, Against Elections: The Case for Democracy
- 2020, Revolusi
- 2022, De kolonisatie van de toekomst
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Reportage-based narrativeBlend of scholarly analysis and narrative elementsClear, expository prose
- Recurring Motifs
- Colonial legacyVoices of ordinary peopleMemory and trauma
Legacy
Internationally recognized for history written from on-the-ground research and archives. His work challenges views on colonialism and democratic practice and influences both academia and general readers.
Academic Societies
- Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature (associated)
Trivia
- His father spent five years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a railway engineer shortly after independence.
- Holds a doctorate from Leiden University (dissertation on ethnographic and primatological analogies in prehistory).
- Awarded the Goethe Medal in 2025.
- Named 'Thinker of the Netherlands' in March 2025.