The Paris Book Festival

From 11th to 13th April, France’s most important book event will be taking place: the Paris Book Festival.

Having been established 30 years ago as the premier literary event in France, the Paris Book Fair (now known as the Paris Book Festival) has grown in renown and importance, attracting thousands of authors and publishers and countless visitors to discuss literature.

This year the fair is taking place in the Grand Palais, one of Paris' most impressive events venues. There will be conferences, creative workshops, author talks and more. The theme this year is ‘the sea’. From the festival website:

‘Initiated by the Ministry of the Sea, the Year of the Sea offers many initiatives throughout France, including the village "La Mer en Tournée", which will be deployed in the "Galerie de la Mer" as part of the Paris Book Festival. An invitation to immerse yourself in the world of the abyss and their imaginations, the gallery, framed by two exhibition spaces, will include several spaces.’

The traveling village will also be featured at the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice in June, but the Paris Book Festival will be your first opportunity to see it. Sea-related events include a workshop entitled ‘Écrire l’océan, les mots de la mer’ ('write the ocean, the words of the sea') and the selection of the winner of the Etoiles Bleues literary prize.

Hundreds of exhibitors will have stalls at the festival where they’ll be promoting themselves and their books. You can see the full list here.

If you happen to find yourself in Paris over the weekend, why not get a ticket? Exploring the Grand Palais and interacting with exhibitors is a great way to put your French speaking skills into practice and nab a free book or two to assist with your reading skills too!

Of course, the Paris Book Festival isn’t the only literary event that happens in Paris. You can find out what else is going on here.