Katherine Pancol will be the president of the new edition of the Var Book Festival. “What is important,” she said, “is to serve the book, to make people want to read…” Supported by the department, with the help of eighteen independent bookstores, this book festival will take place will take place on November 17, 18 and 19, Place d’Armes in Toulon.
Like last year, some 350 authors are expected and more than 60 meetings planned over the three days. Highlight of the first day, dedicated in the morning to middle school students, a play written and performed by Jean-Louis Debré around “Women who awakened France”.
Jean-Louis Masson, president of the department, and Véronique Lenoir, vice-president of the department in charge of cultural policy, are very proud to present this event: We are happy to perpetuate this meeting launched in a complicated period for Toulon and the Var. This book festival grows from year to year. We succeeded in setting up an event that made sense, which found its audience… and became a great cultural moment which is fully in line with our desire for openness and recognition of the department. »
If the exceptional guest, the American thriller author Harlan Coben, unfortunately had to withdraw for personal reasons, the festival will be able to count on the exceptional presence of the 2023 Goncourt Prize, Jean-Baptiste Andrea. Who will be surrounded by a host of novelists, essayists, authors of thrillers and children’s books, including Joseph d’Anvers, Frédéric Beigbeder, Claire Berest, Philippe Collin, Oscar Coop-Phane, Anne Cortey, Jean-Paul Delfino, Jérémy Fel, Régis Franc, Cédric Gras, Johanna Gustawsson, Erik L’Homme, Gaëlle Josse, Gilles Kepel, David Lagercrantz, Mathias Malzieu, Claire Norton, Nicolas d’Estienne d’Orves, Alice Renard, Charlie Roquin, Antoine Sénanque, Philippe Ug .
After Barjavel last year, it is to the great Colette that the event will be dedicated this year. The author of Blé en herbe, Sido and Gigi, whose 150th anniversary is being celebrated in 2023, will be honored through her collection Les Vrilles de la vigne, in which she celebrates nature and nostalgia for the places of his childhood. “Her father was from Mourillon, she had a house in Saint-Tropez and wrote several of her books in Var,” underlines Véronique Lenoir.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 17
■ Inauguration, The literary scene, 2:30 p.m.
Prize giving (Var readers’ prize, marine ink prize). The literary scene, 3 p.m.
■ “The sea, eternal inspiration in literature”
With the winner of the marine ink prize and Maxime Dalle. Meeting hosted by Arnaud de La Grange. Literary apostrophes, 5 p.m.-6 p.m.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18
■ “The Franco-Swedish thriller”
With David Lagercrantz and Johana Gustawsson. Meeting hosted by Nathalie Six. The literary scene, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
■ “French cinema, from shadow to light”
With Dominique Missika, Nicolas d’Étienne d’Orves and Denitza Bantcheva. Meeting hosted by Baptiste Liger. Authors’ views, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
■ “Introduction to French writers today, from Albert Camus to Leïla Slimani” With Mohammed Aissaoui, Frédéric Beigbeder and Mokhtar Amoudi. Meeting hosted by Baptiste Liger. The literary scene, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
■ “Italy, from the Farnese to fascism: fine arts and impossible loves”
With Clélia Renucci and Jean-Baptiste Andrea. Meeting hosted by Alice Develey. The literary scene, 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
■ “The vertigos of History: Napoleon, Mao and Blum”
With Bart Van Loo, Cédric Gras and Philippe Collin. Meeting hosted by Arnaud de La Grange. Authors’ views, 3 p.m.-4 p.m.
■ “Katherine Pancol, honorary president of the Toulon book fair”
Great interview led by Marie-Madeleine Rigopoulos. The literary scene, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
■ “Jean-Baptiste Andrea, winner of the 2023 Goncourt Prize”
Great interview led by Bruno Corty. The literary scene, 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
■ “From New York to Casablanca”
With Cécile Balavoine and Yasmine Chami. Meeting hosted by Caroline de Benedetti. Literary apostrophes, 5 p.m.-5:45 p.m.
■ “ Musical reading, written and performed by Joseph d’Anvers from his novel An Ordinary Boy”
The literary scene, 6 p.m.-7 p.m.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 19
■ “ Love in Wartime”
With Julie Héraclès and Gilles Marchand. Meeting hosted by Arnaud de La Grange. Literary apostrophes, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
■ “Cinema and Literature”
With Katherine Pancol, honorary president of the Var book festival, and Mathias Malzieu. Meeting hosted by Baptiste Liger. The literary scene, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
■ “Writing is a novel”
Great interview with Irène Frain, conducted by Karine Papillaud. The literary scene, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
■ “Parents-children: I love you, neither do I”
With Gaëlle Josse, Thibault Bérard and Caroline Dorka-Fenech.
Meeting hosted by Alice Develey. Authors’ views, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
■ “ Love passionately”
With Romain Sardou, Marin de Viry and Marianne Chaillan. Meeting hosted by Karine Papillaud. Literary apostrophes, 1 p.m.-2 p.m.
■ “Rich in its differences”
With Alice Renard, Laurent Bénégui and Olivier Liron. Meeting hosted by Adeline Fleury. Authors’ views, 1 p.m.-2 p.m.
■ “Resistance fighters: these unsung heroines of the Second World War”
With Emmanuelle Favier and Nicole Bacharan. Meeting hosted by Pascal Fournier. Literary apostrophes, 2 p.m.-3 p.m.
■ “Surviving the Unspeakable: Is Resilience Possible? “.
With Gaëlle Nohant, Yves Viollier and Angélique Villeneuve. Hosted by Marie-Madeleine Rigopoulos. Authors’ views, 2 p.m.-3 p.m.
■ “ Diving into the murky waters of good and evil”
With Jérémy Fel, Claude-Michel Rome and Piergiorgio Pulixi. Meeting hosted by Pascal Fournier. The Literary Scene, 3 p.m.-4 p.m.
■ “ The Ambitious”
With Louis-Henri de La Rochefoucauld, Clément Bénech, Mathieu Lauverjat and Matthieu Jung. Meeting hosted by Baptiste Liger. Literary Apostrophes, 3 p.m.-4 p.m.
■ “ Power and fascination of literature”
With Dimitri Kantcheloff, Noël Herpe, Grégory Le Floch and Bertrand de Saint Vincent. Meeting hosted by Caroline de Benedetti. Authors’ views, 3 p.m.-4 p.m.
■ “Les Audacieuses: Colette and Madame de Sévigné”
With Frédéric Maget and Geneviève Haroche-Bouzinac. Meeting hosted by Marie-Madeleine Rigopoulos. The Literary Scene, 4 p.m.-5 p.m.
■ “The thriller in all its forms”
With Nicolas Chaudun, Christophe Agnus, Laurence Haloche and Patrick Nieto. Meeting hosted by Pascal Fournier. Literary Apostrophes, 4 p.m.-5 p.m.
■ “Troublemakers”
With Emma Becker and Claire Berest. Meeting hosted by Karine Papillaud. Authors’ views, 4 p.m.-5 p.m.
■ “ The poetic resistance fighters”
With Mathias Malzieu and Patrice Franceschi. Meeting hosted by Karine Papillaud. The Literary Scene, 5 p.m.-5:45 p.m.
■ “Michel Rocard and literature”
Great interview with Jean-Michel Djian. Hosted by Marie-Madeleine Rigopoulos. Literary Apostrophes. 5 p.m.-5:45 p.m.
■ “War reporter: an extraordinary profession”
With Mémona Hintermann and Patricia Allémonière. Meeting hosted by Sonia Déchamps. Authors’ views, 5 p.m.-5:45 p.m.
Two prizes are awarded on Friday, November 18 at 2:30 p.m. Composed of three categories, the Var Readers’ Prize crowns works in French published in the year or the previous year. Were in the running in “general literature”: Miguel Bonnefoy (L’Inventeur, Rivages), Gaëlle Nohant (Le Bureau d’clarification des destines, Grasset) and Gaëlle Josse (La Nuit des pères, Notabilia). In “youth”: Rozenn Brécard (Le Détour, Éditions La Parti), Albertine and Germano Zullo (Le Livre bleu, Éditions. La joie de lire), Ramona Badescu and Julia Spiers (At the beginning, Éditions Les Grandes Personnes). In “BD”: Flore Vesco and Kerascoët (De cape et de mots, Dargaud), Marie Jaffredo (Le Printemps de Sakura, Glénat) and Yoon-sun Park (L’Incroyable Mademoiselle Bang!, Dupuis.)
The Encre marine prize, for its part, rewards a work highlighting themes linked to the sea and the maritime world, civil or military. Were in the running: Fabrice Humbert (The Ghost Experience, Gallimard), Laurence Devillairs (Little Philosophy of the Sea, Éditions La Martinière), Maxime Dalle (Le Pari corsaire, Éditions Hérodios) and Emmanuel Desclèves (Tupaia, L’Harmattan) .
