Strasbourg Author Event: ‘The Child of the Wind from the Faroes’

Strasbourg author Aurélien Gautherie will meet readers at the L’Indépendante bookstore today to discuss his debut novel, L’Enfant du vent des Féroé, published by Notabilia.

Gautherie, a lycée Saint-Etienne literature teacher, sets his novel in the Faroe Islands, intertwining the tragic fates of Jonas and Anna in the early 20th century with the journey of a contemporary traveler. The book has already garnered significant attention, being a laureate of the Prix Gibert 2026 and a finalist for the Prix Ouest France Étonnants Voyageurs 2026. It has also been selected for the Prix Cazes de la brasserie Lipp 2026, the Prix [du métro] Goncourt 2026, the Prix des médiathèques de Villeneuve-d’Ascq and the prix de la librairie AB (Lunel).

According to a review from Libraires du Sud, the novel is “a remarkably beautiful invitation to travel” that draws readers into a remote island community and an old family drama. The review notes that even inanimate objects and the winds themselves take part in telling the story.

L’Enfant du vent des Féroé focuses on Anna, born in 1902, who was considered frail from birth, and a fisherman in 1953 who seeks to die on the anniversary of his daughter’s death. The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of objects and the elements, employing free verse to evoke a sense of tragedy. The book is described as an ode to the elements, a constant in a story battling against oblivion.

Babelio reviewers have praised Gautherie’s “enchanting” and “delicate” prose, noting the unusual setting of the Faroe Islands within the French literary landscape.