At the beginning of September, the main distributor of Breton books and music Coop Breizh was placed in receivershipafter having stopped paying. A difficult situation which cast a chill over Breton publishing, and raised many questions about its future. The Brittany Book Festival is an opportunity to highlight Breton publishing, particularly targeting young people.
Show that it exists
Because there are children’s books in Breton. For many, these are translations of books in French, but there are creations. And Maelenn likes that. “When I was at school, the teachers translated and glued papers to the texts. It changes a lot of things to have the book directly in Breton“.
On the stands, translations of Tintin, or even the Little Prince. Brendan runs the Timilenn publishing house. On his stand, only children's books. “For all children in a bilingual stream, it is important to have the same books as in French. It is important to have quality Breton language production.“
Because in Carhaix, the Breton editions have a lot of weight. “Usually, we have no visibility. Here in Carhaix, it’s a real showcaseand the opportunity to show that books in the Breton language exist” explains Riwanon Kervella, president of Kuzul ar Brezhoneg, an association bringing together around ten Breton publishing houses.
Working on distribution
For Riwanon Kervella, it is important to work on the distribution of books in the Breton language. “There is a book chain in Breton, from the writer to the reader, and this chain must not be broken in certain places. We control the production, but it's more difficult to reach the reader. We need to work on distribution.“
Before continuing. “You have to make the reader want to read, you have to say what exists.“For the president of Kuzul ar Brezhoneg, we must also work with booksellers to highlight Breton books, because they are too hidden.”There should be a place in Brittany for books in the Breton language“.
Despite the difficulties, those who work in the sector believe in the future of Breton publishing, like Magalie Baron of Kuzul ar Brezhoneg. “We have writers, it's a living world, we always have loyal readers, who care about Breton. Meeting them is encouraging for us. And when I see the new things coming out, I tell myself that Breton publishing has a bright future ahead of it.“
Brennan continues, “There are many volunteers in Breton publishing, but That doesn't mean it's of lower quality.. There are readers, people who are interested“. In any case, in Carhaix, it has its audience. But to survive, the Breton edition seeks to travel further than central Brittany.
