Bron Book Festival 2012 © Christine Chaudagne/Bron Book Festival
It was through a laconic email, a press release sent by Yann Nicol (current director of the event) received by a few journalists, that we learned of the end of the Bron Book Festival.
This central event in literary life in France is undoubtedly the most important for our region in terms of literary manifestation. As the press release states: “Founded in 1987 and supported throughout its years by public authorities (City of Bron, Metropolis of Lyon, region/Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, DRAC, National Book Center), the Bron Book Festival was undoubtedly a pioneer in offering the public a literary festival, where only book fairs focused exclusively on signings existed. A festival which proposed to give a voice to writers, to build a real artistic program, thematized and demanding, to rely on the know-how of independent booksellers, to think about crossovers between literature and other forms of artistic expression, dialogues of authors and musical readings, cinematographic projections… Over the years, the festival founded by Véronique Forcet and Colette Gruas, then artistically carried out by Brigitte Giraud, Laetitia Voreppe and Yann Nicol in the company of a loyal and engaged, has become one of the most important events in national literary life, whether in general literature, human sciences or children’s literature.“
At the time of writing, it was impossible to contact Yann Nicol. And on the side of the Rhône-Alpes Auvergne Book and Reading Agency, we were unable to obtain any other information on the reasons for this sudden and brutal end other than those expressed in the press release:
“After numerous reflections linked to the financial and organizational constraints which weigh on the functioning of the association and the sustainability of the various projects it carries (Festival/Season/Media), the extraordinary general assembly voted on Monday October 7, 2024 the dissolution of the Lire à Bron association which marks the end of the history of the Bron Book Festival and satellite projects (The Summer Prizes, The booksellers’ route, High school meetings, digital media). This decision is the result of reflection between the professional team and the administrators, who made the choice, in their soul and conscience, to put an end to this adventure.“
