40 ans, « An age of conviction »
1986. That year, the Place de la Comédie, in Montpellier, has just become pedestrian. « Georges Frêche, the mayor of the time, who loved books a lot, had the idea of creating, in public space, this free festival to support booksellers », Relates Michaël Delafosse, mayor and president of the Montpellier metropolis.
40 years later, the comedy of the book, a gigantic outdoor literary lounge, moved to the Royal Esplanade of Peyrou and has expanded many meetings, readings, debates, projections, going from 3 to “10 days in May”. In 4 decades, the Montpellier literary festival has become a national reference which will welcome, this year, 330 authors, 60 publishers of Occitanie and 16 independent bookstores around 200 meetings offered to the public.
« At 40 years, you could say that everything is acquired. But no. Since 40 In the comedy of the book is reinventing itself, goes ahead. 40 years, it is not an age of reason, a mature age, an age of conviction. At a time when everyone is rocked on social networks and continuous news channels, at a time when an author, Boualem Sansal, finds himself behind bars in Algeria, the comedy of the book is a place where the controversy, the debate of the Spirit can take place, where the diversity of literary expressions and opinions can be expressed without it turning to pugilat. It’s essential »considers Michaël Delafosse, who recalls how culture, whose city and Montpellier metropolis have sanctuarized the budget despite the big efforts of savings to which communities are constrained, is a political choice.
« Reading a book, listening to a conference is long. Longer than the frantic pace that we are imposed on social networks. But you have to hold this time from education, book, contemplation. We must resist populist weather, vulgar time, time of denigration and the time of withdrawal. It is under these auspices that these 40 ans », estimates the mayor of Montpellier. A birthday that will be the subject of an exhibition during the show and a special evening at the Opera (see below)
Imaginary literature
-In continuation of the long -term partnership started last year, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire (GPI), the oldest prize dedicated to imaginary literatures in France, will be awarded as part of the festival, Saturday May 17 at 6 p.m. at the Rabelais Center. A rapprochement that has offered the comedy of the book the opportunity to open the doors of its programming to science fiction and fantasy, including a good thirty authors, consecrated or in the making, will be present.
Foenkinos Guest of Honor
Like every year, the Festival invites « A great popular figure in literature ». For this 40e Edition, it is the French writer David Foenkinos who will be invited to honor, on the occasion of the publication of his new novel, Everyone loves Clara (Gallimard), of which he will present during a large interview scheduled for Friday, May 16 at 7 p.m. at the Rabelais Center. The next day, May 17, David Foenkinos will dialogue with Philippe Jaenada, great writer of the literary investigation, at 12 noon at the Maison des Choirs. Without forgetting, in the evening at 8 p.m., the presentation and the screening at the diagonal cinema of the film The Delicacyco-produced with his brother and adapted from his eponymous successful novel.
Book Fair and major meetings
The Book Fair, the beating heart of the festival, will take place on May 16, 17 and 18 on the Pyrou promenade, in the presence of very many authors, including Christine Angot, Lola Lafont, Emma Becker, Mathias Enard, Sinno, Alice Zeniter, Vanessa Springora, Gonzalo M. Tavares, Andrew O’hagan … and many others. Three days during which a whole series of meetings, readings, interviews*will be offered.
Before that, from May 9 to 15, several major evenings will take place (see below “some inevitable”), including the opening evening of the festival (Friday May 9, 8 p.m. at the Opéra Comédie) with the Goncourt 2024 Prize, the Algerian writer and journalist Kamel Daoud.
