Anne-Marie Reuter wins the Servais prize

A cross between a family saga and sci-fi novel

"M for Amnesia" explores the themes of memory loss and trauma. The story takes place against a backdrop of a world affected by climate change, social segregation and biopolitical control. It delves into a world where scientists, driven by ambition and undue reliance on technology, seek to improve the human condition by carrying out experiments on the body and mind. It tells the story of the fragmented and intentionally incomplete lives of two women, Millie and Melissa, who ask themselves whether they can truly trust their memories.

The jury praised the book for the relevance of its subject matter and admired the author's polished, clinical style and the way she tackles the ethical dilemmas facing humanity. Anne-Marie Reuter experiments with new narrative techniques to explain the unnarratable, giving context to the diffuse and grasping the unreliable, while drawing attention to the crucial role of language in self-definition.

Anne-Marie Reuter is the eighth woman to receive the Prix Servais. She is also the author of the collection of short stories "On the Edge" (2017) and the illustrated story "Blue" (2021). She also co-founded Black Fountain Press, Luxembourg's first publishing house dedicated to English-speaking writers. In 2017, she translated a series of texts by the Luxembourg poet Lambert Schlechter into English, published under the title "one day I will write a poem". 

Three questions for Anne-Marie Reuter

What was your inspiration for the book?

I am fascinated by the brain, memory and how it works. What remains when memories fade? Can we rely upon our memories? Through these reflections, a character began to take shape in my mind: Millie, an elderly woman suffering from amnesia, who has no memory of her past life and yet she is haunted by overwhelming feelings of guilt. She's convinced that she has made a terrible mistake, perhaps even committed a crime, but she can't remember what it was. By researching trauma and advances in neuroscience, I decided to place the story of Millie and her search for her lost past in the near future. It was at the same time that I developed the second main character: Melissa is a young woman, a digital savage, who resigned from a high-tech company and turned her back on civilisation for a simpler life in commune.

What does the prize mean to you personally?

Immense joy and satisfaction. It took me seven years to complete Millie and Melissa’s story. Over time, these two characters have gradually become an integral part of my life. It's exhilarating to know that other people appreciate them and can follow their story with a sense of interest and empathy. Also, as the prize is meant to reward the "most significant” book and themes of the year, I don't need to tell you that I deeply appreciate this accolade.

Do you have any projects in the pipeline or are you already working on another book?

After receiving the Prix Servais, I received a number of commissions for short texts. After that, I'd like to start work on the final volume of my "Luxembourg" trilogy: the first two stories, BLUE and RED, illustrated by Antic Ham, were published by Redfoxpress, in Ireland, in 2021 and 2024. WHITE will draw this project to a close. And, of course, there's always another novel on the horizon. I've got a few ideas that I'm going to dwell upon for a while before putting pen to paper, which I hope won't take seven years to complete this time round!

We would like to thank Anne-Marie Reuter for giving us this interview.