At the Ministry of Culture, rue de Valois, the press conference was held on 40e Montreuil Book and Youth Press Fair (SLPJ). In the luxurious Salon des Maréchaux, children’s authors, illustrators and book professionals attended the presentation of this anniversary edition. Present for the occasion, the director of the Show, Sylvie Vassallo, Nicolas Georgesin charge of the book and reading service at the Ministry of Culture, Anne-Louise Mésadieu the ambassador and special delegate of the Île-de-France region for culture, and Stéphane Trousselpresident of the general council of Seine-Saint-Denis, took turns speaking.
The SLPJ will be held from November 27 to December 2 in Montreuil and will welcome nearly 400 exhibitors, 250 artists and more than 2,000 authors signing for nearly 200,000 expected visitors. “The Show is completely free because it belongs to the publicpresses Sylvie Vassallo. There is particular attention to accessibility for people with disabilities and families in very precarious situations. »
A dreamy youth
The theme of this 40e edition is “General dream”symbol of the imagination and for “fight against resignation and fatalism thanks to novels, poetry and comics”exclaimed Stéphane Troussel.
Numerous programs are offered on the two floors of the show, such as Dreams in volume, Plural dreams or Dreams told. The latter presents a selection of “Nuggets” chosen by the Salon.
The professional day will be held on December 2 around four themes: the development of a Europe in books; the history of children’s books and comics; how artists address young people; and the new challenges of tomorrow. A Shoot the Book youth edition will also be organized for screen adaptations of books.
Multiple actions are carried out in parallel with the Exhibition outside the walls, such as 40×40. Forty creations by illustrators around the imagination of reading will decorate places linked to childhood such as nurseries, schools and child welfare structures.
In 1984, the year of the first edition of the SLPJ, the children’s edition represented 9.4% of the turnover of the French edition with 4,875 titles published, compared to 13.7% of the turnover and 18,535 titles. published in 2023. In volume, youth today represents 19.4% of production, or one book in four, this despite a clear drop in reading among young people according to a CNL survey, recalled by its president, Régine Hatchondopresent in the room.
“We are happy to celebrate these forty years of general utopia and encounter between literature and youth”he concluded Sylvie Vassallo.
