A George Lucas biography Les Guerres de Lucas [“The Lucas Wars“] by Laurent Hopman and Renaud Roche has won the sixth annual Fnac-France Inter Prix BD. The book, published by Deman Éditions, explores the life of George Lucas and the behind the scenes chaos that eventually came together to make the groundbreaking first Star Wars movie in 1977.
The press release said [translated from French by DeepL]:
“Fnac and France Inter are pleased to announce the winner of the Prix BD Fnac France Inter 2024: Les guerres de Lucas by Laurent Hopman and Renaud Roche (Éditions Deman).”
The publisher synopsis for the book [translated by DeepL]:
“Scrupulously faithful to historical reality, meticulously documented, The Lucas Wars presents the incredible epic of George Lucas – the rebellious child who almost died, prodigy of the new Hollywood, and indomitable visionary.
“It’s an unprecedented behind-the-scenes exploration of Star Wars; from casting hell to nightmarish filming, where feuds between actors, secret romances and messy disasters are the order of the day. A gigantic quagmire from which emerged a major work that would change cinema forever.
“The Lucas Wars is a breath-taking dive into the throes of creation, intense and poignant, yet funny in its own right. The ultimate making-of, a delightful success story and a lesson in cinema, it’s an ode to the magic of childhood and perseverance.”
The book rose through the ranks from a 20 book initial selection that included the French editions of Kate Beaton’s Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands and James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, and Jordie Bellaire’s The Nice House on the Lake.
The Prix BD winner is selected by multiple rounds of voting between France Inter radio station editorial staff, Fnac booksellers and a public jury of thirty-five readers. The award has been run since 2018. All books had to have been published in 2023.
The other finalists of the 2024 award were:
- Ceux qui me touchent [tr. ‘Those Who Touch Me‘], by Damien Marie & Laurent Bonneau (Bamboo/Grand Angle)
- Femme, Vie, Liberté [tr. ‘Women, Life, Freedom‘], an anthology edited by Marjane Satrapi (L’Iconoclaste)
- Le grand incident [tr. ‘The Great Incident‘], by Zelba (Futuropolis)
- The Nice House on the Lake James, by James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, and Jordie Bellaire (Urban Comics)
Last year’s winner was Valentine Cuny-Le Callet’s Perpendiculaire au soleil [tr. ‘Perpendicular to the Sun’], a correspondence between the French author and a US death row inmate, published by Delcourt.
