After 39 editions and two cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Paris Book Fair, Porte de Versailles, has a new name and a new location. The first Paris Book Festival is being held all weekend opposite the Eiffel Tower, in the ephemeral Grand Palais.
” I find that here, the place is magnificent, we are at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, at the end of the Champ de Mars, so we cannot dream of a better place “, describes Kamel Yahia, from Gallimard editions.
The Gallimard house, which had shunned the last editions of the Book Fair, is present this time, almost at the entrance of the ephemeral Grand Palais where the Book Festival is held. An event which is also an opportunity for publishers, at a time when reading is down, to meet the public.
” The fact that it’s again in the center of Paris is still a real plus. It allows people to come in a little more naturally. And I also think that it drains people who no longer came to Porte de Versailles. “, believes Clémentine Chérifi, editorial manager at Aube editions.
And the idea also for the organizers is to offer a wide range for a wider audience. ” Everyone can find happiness in a book. You don’t have to love literature to be interested in books. You can be a handyman and be interested in books, you can be athletic and find your happiness in a book, you can be a cook and find your happiness in a book, enthuses Marie-Madeleine Rigopoulos, artistic director.
It is extremely important that everyone is aware of this. This is what we have worked on with this program: to ensure that there is the widest possible range of proposals, both in literature, philosophy, essays, children’s literature, but also food topics. We can also talk about gardening, with Alain Baraton, the great gardener of Versailles. And, as such, each person will be able to find a subject that will interest them and a desire to buy a book. »
The Paris Book Festival is therefore a gigantic bookstore where you can stroll, listen to a debate, take part in a workshop. But it is also the place for professional meetings. Many booksellers and distributors from abroad in particular made the trip to sign contracts.
“ The group today is nearly 90 countries to which we export, 2,000 booksellers all over the world, says Kamel Yahia, export director for Flammarion, Gallimard and Casterman. And it’s true that Africa has a special place for several reasons. These are markets where there is a real appetite for books. I think that all booksellers would like to satisfy this thirst for reading, and we have been supporting them for many years for this. »
Africa, with Senegal and the Ivory Coast as the main importers of French-speaking books on the Continent.