The College of Languages Represents Iraq at the 2025 Goncourt des Lycéens of the East in Beirut
The College of Languages at the University of Baghdad participated in the 13th edition of the Goncourt des Lycéens of the East, held in Beirut from April 6 to 10, 2025. Representing Iraq in this prestigious literary event was Nour Tareq Abbas,
a student from the Department of French, who served as President of the Student Jury Committee. This esteemed competition brought together 32 student juries from 27 universities across 11 Middle Eastern countries to select the best French-language literary work of the year. The award was granted to writer and musician Gaël Faye for his novel Jacaranda, published by Grasset & Fasquelle.
Organised by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie in the Middle East, in collaboration with the Académie Goncourt and the Institut Français of Lebanon, the competition provides a distinguished platform for young Francophone readers in the region to engage in literary dialogue and choose a novel that reflects their cultural and aesthetic sensibilities.
The Department of French in the College of Languages is renowned for its continued international participation, which plays a vital role in developing students’ linguistic proficiency and broadening their cultural horizons. Student Nour Tareq expressed her pride in representing Iraq and the College of Languages at such
a refined literary gathering, emphasising that the experience enriched her academically and personally, further fostering cultural exchange among French-speaking youth in the region.
