Kamel Daoud has won the Prix Goncourt, considered France’s most prestigious literary prize, for his novel Houris, the French newspaper Le Monde reports.

Daoud is the first Algerian author to win the award. His novel, which takes place during the Algerian Civil War of 1992-2002, has not been published in Algeria, which disallows some writing about the “wounds of the national tragedy.” Daoud’s novel follows a woman who was seriously injured as a child during the war; it has not yet been translated into English or published in the U.S.

Daoud, a journalist, made his fiction debut in 2013 with The Meursault Investigation, a reimagining of Albert Camus’ The Stranger, told from the point of view of Harun, the brother of the man who is murdered in Camus’ novel. Daoud’s novel was a finalist for the Prix Goncourt and winner of the Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman, given to a first novel.

Daoud reacted to winning the award on the social platform X. Le Monde translated his post as, “It’s your dream, paid for by your years of life. To my deceased father. To my mother, still alive, but who doesn’t remember a thing. No words exist to say a true thank you.”

The other finalists for the prize were Sandrine Collette for Madelaine avant l’aube, Gaël Faye for Jacaranda, and Hélène Gaudy for Archipels. Faye was awarded the Prix Renaudot, another French literary prize.

The Prix Goncourt was first awarded in 1903. Past winners include Simone de Beauvoir for The Mandarins, Patrick Modiano for Missing Person, and Leïla Slimani for The Perfect Nanny.

Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.