What I Know About You
| Author | Éric Chacour |
|---|---|
| Translator | Pablo Strauss |
| Publisher | Éditions Alto |
Publication date | August 24, 2023 |
| Publication place | Canada |
Published in English | November 7, 2024 |
| Awards | Prix des Libraires 2024 Prix Femina des lycéens 2023 |
| ISBN | 978-2384820344 |
What I Know About You (French: Ce que je sais de toi) is a novel by Éric Chacour, published on August 24, 2023, by Éditions Alto in Québec and by Éditions Philippe Rey in France. The English translation by Pablo Strauss was published by Pushkin Press in 2024.
The novel focuses on relations in a Levantine-Egyptian family, and a romantic relationship that strains existing norms, expectations and responsibilities. It won the prix des Libraires in 2024,[1] making Chacour the second Québécois to win the prize after Anne Hébert in 1971.[2]
Plot
What I Know About You follows Tarek, a young doctor taking over his father's medical practice in 1980s Cairo. His choice to open a dispensary in the poorer neighborhood of Mokattam leads him to meet Ali. Their relationship will alter the course of his otherwise pre-ordained life.[2]
Narrative focus and style
The book touches on many themes around human and familial relations, including love, homosexuality, gender, prostitution, migration, and fate.
The novel is broken up into three steadily shorter sections, that gradually reveal the position of the omniscient narrator.[2] The first section "You" is written in the second person, and focuses on the story of Tarek. The second section "Me," mostly written in the first person, allows the narrator to reveal themselves. Finally, the shortest (third) section "We," describes the relationship between the two characters in a dozen pages.
Translations
In 2024, the novel was translated into English by Pablo Strauss and published by Pushkin Press.[3] The translated version was a finalist for the Giller Prize,[4] the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for debut books by LGBTQ writers,[5] and for the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize in 2024.[6]
As of July 2025, the novel had been translated into more than 10 languages.[7]
Reception
As of 2025, the novel had sold more than 300,000 copies, and won a number of awards.[7]
Awards
The novel has won over 12 prizes,[8] including:
- The CALQ prize Œuvre de la relève à Montréal prize;[9]
- The prix des cinq continents de la francophonie in 2024;[10]
- The prix Femina des lycéens in 2023;[11]
- The discovery prize of the fondation Prince Pierre de Monaco;[2]
- The prize of the Festival du premier roman ("Festival of the first novel") of Chambéry in 2024;[12]
- The "Première Plume" prize in 2023;[13]
- The prix des Libraires 2024;[1]
- The "Libraires en Seine Corinne-Kim" award in 2024;[14]
- Selection in the second tier for the prix Femina in 2024;[15]
- Selection in the second tier for the prix Renaudot.[16]
References
- ^ a b Jetté, Élise (15 May 2024). "Éric Chacour remporte le 70e Prix des libraires de France". Radio-Canada. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d Maalouf, Laila (15 May 2024). "Ce que je sais de toi: Éric Chacour remporte le Prix des libraires en France". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "What I Know About You • Montreal Review of Books". Montreal Review of Books. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Cassandra Drudi, "Giller Prize announces five-title shortlist for 2024 prize". Quill & Quire, October 9, 2024.
- ^ "Vincent Anioke, Anthony Oliveira, Éric Chacour shortlisted for $10K 2SLGBTQ+ emerging writers prize". CBC Books, September 13, 2024.
- ^ Maalouf, Laila (15 May 2024). "Ce que je sais de toi: Éric Chacour remporte le Prix des libraires en France". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Livres des deux rives" translation workshop: author Eric Chacour reflects on his experience as a tutor | Institut français". Institut français. Archived from the original on 14 September 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Éric Chacour's 'stunning' debut novel goes to Gallic Books". The Bookseller. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Éric Chacour remporte le Prix du CALQ – Œuvre de la relève à Montréal". Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (in French). 16 April 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Lapointe, Josée (26 March 2024). "Ce que je sais de toi: Éric Chacour remporte le Prix des cinq continents". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Arts- (28 November 2023). "Éric Chacour, lauréat du prix Femina des lycéens". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Chambéry : les lauréats et invités du Festival du premier roman 2024". ActuaLitté.com (in French). Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Éric Chacour, lauréat du Prix Première Plume 2023". ActuaLitté.com (in French). Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Cattan, Léon (6 June 2024). "Éric Chacour, lauréat du prix Libraires en Seine 2024". Livres Hebdo (in French). Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Maalouf, Laila (3 October 2023). "Éric Chacour toujours en lice pour le prix Femina". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Maalouf, Laila (26 October 2023). "Prix Renaudot: Éric Chacour n'a pas été retenu parmi les finalistes". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 20 January 2026.