Le Combat des livres is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Ici Radio-Canada Première in Canada. A French edition of the Canada Reads competition, the program was launched in 2004. It aired annually from 2004 to 2014,"Radio-Canada revoit sa «stratégie littéraire»". Le Devoir, March 30, 2015. and was then discontinued until being revived in 2018."Combat des livres is back!". CBC Books, April 24, 2018.
Unlike the English program, which selects a different theme of the "One Book to..." variety each year, the French program normally selects books based on the regions of Canada, with one book representing each of Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Western Canada and the Indigenous peoples of Canada each year.
Both the English and French programs sometimes, but not always, include one personality more commonly associated with the other language community, who champions a translated work.Russell Smith, "Why Quebec's literary culture is so much fun". The Globe and Mail, May 26, 2018. One advocate, Maureen McTeer, appeared on both programs in the same year, championing the same novel in both its original English and translated French editions. Several other novels have also been chosen for both programs, although their English and French versions were not chosen by the same advocate or in the same year; one novel to date, Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes (French title Aminata) has won both competitions.
In 2021, for the first time in the history of the series the network produced two separate editions, one devoted to adult literature and one devoted to youth literature. The adult literature debates remain between celebrity personalities, while the youth literature debates take place between francophone teenagers selected through a school competition, with the winner of the debates settled by a judges' panel instead of through voting by the participants.
2004 Radio-Canada, the French-language service of CBC, aired a French version of Canada Reads, entitled Le combat des livres ("Battle of the Books"), from March 29 to April 2, 2004. It was moderated by Marie-France Bazzo.
AuthorTitleAdvocateGil Courtemanche Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali Laure WaridelMargaret Atwood La servante écarlate Julius GreyJacques Godbout Une histoire américaine Gérald LaroseYann Martel L'histoire de Pi Louise ForestierGaétan Soucy La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes Micheline Lanctôt
2005 The 2005 edition of Le Combat des livres aired from March 14 to March 18, 2005. It was moderated by Marie-France Bazzo.
AuthorTitleAdvocateRéjean Ducharme L'Avalée des avalés Sophie CadieuxNancy Huston Dolce agonia Réjean ThomasJean-Jacques Pelletier La Chair disparue Alain LefèvreElizabeth Smart À la hauteur de Grand Central Station, je me suis assise et j'ai pleuré Dennis TrudeauMichel Tremblay Thérèse et Pierrette à l'école des Saints-Anges Monique Simard
2006 The 2006 edition of Le Combat des livres aired from January 30 to February 3. It was moderated by Marie-France Bazzo.
AuthorTitleAdvocateFrancine Noël La Femme de ma vie Françoise GuénetteHubert Aquin Prochain épisode Pierre LebeauJean Barbe Comment devenir un monstre Lucie LaurierStéphane Dompierre Un petit pas pour l'homme Louis-José HoudeFrances Itani Une coquille de silence Maureen McTeer
2007 The 2007 edition of Le Combat des livres aired from February 26 to March 2 and was moderated by Christiane Charette.
AuthorTitleAdvocateDenis Thériault L'Iguane Dominique LévesqueMarie Laberge Le poids des ombres Pauline MaroisMathyas Lefebure D'où viens-tu berger? Robert FrosiYann Martel Self Sheila CoppsChristian Mistral Vamp Biz
2008 The 2008 edition of Le Combat des livres aired from February 25 to February 29 and was once again chaired by Christiane Charette.
AuthorTitleAdvocateÉric Dupont La Logeuse Nicolas LangelierMarie-Claire Blais Une saison dans la vie d'Emmanuel Serge DenoncourtJacques Godbout La concierge du Panthéon Bernard LandryMordecai Richler Le Monde de Barney Anne Lagacé DowsonGabrielle Roy La Détresse et l'enchantement Sophie Faucher
2009 The 2009 edition of Le Combat des livres aired from March 23 to 27, and was once again chaired by Christiane Charette.
AuthorTitleAdvocateRawi Hage Parfum de poussière Brendan KellyGérard Bouchard Mistouk Raymond GravelJean-François Beauchemin La fabrication de l'aube Emmanuel BilodeauD. Y. Béchard Vandal Love Esther BéginMarie-Sissi Labrèche Borderline Janette Bertrand
2010 The 2010 edition of Le Combat des livres aired from March 22 to 26. Christiane Charette moderated.
AuthorTitleAdvocateDany Laferrière L'énigme du retour Françoise DavidJean Barbe Comment devenir un ange Marie-Soleil MichonPatrice Desbiens L'Homme invisible Thomas HellmanGermaine Guèvremont Le survenant Christian DufourNancy Huston Cantique des plaines Christopher Hall
2011 The 2011 edition of Le Combat des livres aired from March 14 to 18. Christiane Charette moderated.
AuthorTitleAdvocatePerrine Leblanc L'homme blanc Geneviève GuérardDavid Gilmour L'École des films Anne-France GoldwaterDany Laferrière Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer Patrick LagacéÉmile Ollivier Mère-Solitude JiCi LauzonDanielle Trussart Le train pour Samarcande Djemila Benhabib
2012 Beginning in 2012, the production and broadcast of Le Combat des livres was transferred from Charette's program to the network's new literature show Plus on est de fous, plus on lit!, hosted by Marie-Louise Arsenault.Chantal Guy, "Combat des livres: victoire de La petite et le vieux de Marie-Renée Lavoie". La Presse, March 29, 2012.
AuthorTitleAdvocateMarie-Renée Lavoie La petite et le vieux Yves LamontagneMargaret Atwood La voleuse d'hommes Tasha KheiriddinGuy Delisle Chroniques de Jérusalem Gildor RoyAbla Farhoud Le sourire de la petite juive Nabila Ben Youssef
2013 The 2013 edition of Le Combat des livres aired from March 18 to 22. Marie-Louise Arsenault moderated. It was an all star season featuring previous winners."Le Combat des livres kicks off with talk of independence and throwing books". The Gazette, March 18, 2013.
AuthorTitleAdvocateLawrence Hill Aminata Thomas HellmanJocelyne Saucier Il pleuvait des oiseaux Geneviève GuérardHeather O'Neill La Ballade de Baby Brendan KellySamuel Archibald Arvida Bernard LandryÉric Dupont La fiancée américaine Dominique Levesque
2014 The 2014 edition of Le Combat des livres aired from March 31 to April 3. Marie-Louise Arsenault moderated.
AuthorTitleAdvocateMarie-Claire Blais La Belle Bête Paul CargnelloFrançois Gravel Adieu, Betty Crocker Pauline MartinRohinton Mistry L'Équilibre du monde Azeb Wolde-GiorghisKim Thúy Ru Jean-François Chicoine
2018 The 2018 edition of Le Combat des livres, the first time the show has aired since 2014, ran from May 7 to 11, 2018. Marie-Louise Arsenault moderated. The books were selected to represent the regions of Canada, with one book representing each of Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Western Canada and the Indigenous peoples of Canada.
AuthorTitleAdvocateKatherena Vermette Ligne brisée Naomi FontaineMargaret Atwood C'est le coeur qui lâche en dernier Russell SmithStéfanie Clermont Le jeu de la musique Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-JacquesNancy Huston Le club des miracles relatifs Ibrahima DialloSara Tilley Écorchée Antonine Maillet
2019 The 2019 edition of Le Combat des livres aired from May 6 to 10, 2019, with Marie-Louise Arsenault moderating. The books were selected on the same theme of regional representation as the 2018 edition, with one book selected to represent each of Canada's four major geographic regions and one book selected to represent indigenous literature.
AuthorTitleAdvocateBlaise Ndala Sans capote ni kalachnikov Marie-Maude DenisFrance Daigle Pour sûr Édith ButlerNaomi Fontaine Manikanetish Stanley VollantKaroline Georges De synthèse Manal DrissiMiriam Toews Pauvres petits chagrins Deni Ellis Béchard
2020
AuthorTitleAdvocate Nadine Bismuth Un lien familial France D'Amour Marguerite Andersen La mauvaise mère Dominique Demers Gérald Leblanc Moncton mantra Julie Aubé J. R. Léveillé Le soleil du lac qui se couche Alpha Toshineza Richard Wagamese Cheval Indien Romeo Saganash
2021 In 2021, Ici Radio-Canada Première planned two separate editions of Le Combat des livres, one devoted to young adult literature, with the five selected books advocated by francophone teenagers, and another for adult literature. The teen competition was staged in March 2021, while the adult competition took place May 3 to 7.Jenny Lamothe, "Sudbury author Melchior Mbonimpa ‘astonished’ his 20-year-old novel picked for Combat national des livres". Toronto Star, April 15, 2021.
Writer Simon Boulerice and actress Catherine Trudeau also participated in the youth debates as assistant moderators.Geneviève Dufour, "Le roman Camille remporte le Combat des livres jeunesse". Les libraires, March 19, 2021.
Combat national des livres The adult literature competition was staged from May 3 to 7, 2021."Michèle Audette remporte le Combat national des livres 2021 avec Kukum". Ici Radio-Canada, May 7, 2021.
AuthorTitleAdvocate Michel Jean Kukum Michèle Audette Jean Babineau Infini Brian Gallant Simone Chaput Que serions-nous sans le secours de ce qui n’existe pas? Corey Loranger Caroline Dawson Là où je me terre Michel Marc Bouchard Melchior Mbonimpa Le totem des Baranda Tanya Lapointe
Combat des livres jeunesse AuthorTitleAdvocate Patrick Isabelle Camille Amélie Sarah-Maude Beauchesne Cœur de slush Anaïs Dominique Demers L'albatros et la mésange Daphnée Michel Noël Hush! Hush! Pierre Andrée Poulin J'avais tout prévu sauf les bélugas Élie
2022
Combat national des livres The adult literature competition was staged from May 2 to 6, 2022.André Duchesne, "Vanessa Léger remporte le Combat national des livres". La Presse, May 6, 2022.
AuthorTitleAdvocate Vanessa Léger L’averti : La naissance d’une dynastie Serge Brideau Dawn Dumont La course de Rose (Rose's Run) Isabelle Picard Paul Serge Forest Tout est ori Charlotte Aubin Daniel Poliquin Le vol de l'ange Blaise Ndala Ying Chen Rayonnements Jean Grand-Maître
Combat des livres jeunesse AuthorTitleAdvocate Edith Kabuya Victoire-Divine Léonie Elizabeth Baril-Lessard Ma vie de gâteau sec Maya Samuel Champagne Adam William Amélie Panneton Comme une chaleur de feu de camp Mila Marc-André Pilon Infectés Léon
2023
Combat national des livres The adult literature competition was staged from May 15 to 18, 2023.Bobby Therrien, "Un roman de Sébastien Bérubé candidat au Combat national des livres". L'Acadie Nouvelle, April 25, 2023.
AuthorTitleAdvocate Sébastien Bérubé Rivières-aux-Cartouches Gabriel Robichaud Roxanne Bouchard Nous étions le sel de la mer Gilles Renaud Jean-Pierre Dubé Le Radeau Patricia Bitu Tshikudi Chloé LaDuchesse L'Incendiare de Sudbury Brigitte Noël Drew Hayden Taylor (tr. Eva Lavergne) Le baiser de Nanabush (Motorcycles & Sweetgrass) Xavier Watson
Combat des livres jeunesse
AuthorTitleAdvocate Andrée Poulin La plus grosse poutine du monde Nico Laurence Beaudoin-Masse Rentrer son ventre et sourire Evie Pierre-Alexandre Bonin Chasseurs de légendes tome 1 : la colère de la Dame blanche Ella Luc Gélinas C'est la faute à Ovechkin Alexis Magali Laurent L’ogre et l’enfant Adam
2024
Combat national des livres The 2024 edition was staged from May 17 to 20.Daphné Santos-Vieira, "Meet the 2024 Combat national des livres contenders". CBC Books, April 24, 2024.
AuthorTitleAdvocate Emmanuelle Pierrot La version qui n’intéresse personne David Thibodeau Tomson Highway (tr. Robert Dickson) Le baiser de la Reine blanche (Kiss of the Fur Queen) Jocelyn Sioui Didier Leclair Le prince africain, le traducteur et le nazi Alison Vicrobeck Francis Ouellette Mélasse de fantaisie Chantal Lamarre Annie-Claude Thériault Les Foley Diane Losier
Combat des livres jeunesse