Iworked to give a cultural component to the Paris Olympic Games, produced shows by Catherine Ringer or Véronique Sanson, organized electronic nights or theater with René de Obaldia… At 53, Pierre-Yves Bérenguer is the new boss of the Festival from the Book of Paris. And if it intends to be part of the continuity of this major event which returns for the first time to the Grand Palais, it also intends to move the lines by developing transversality with other cultural industries such as cinema or live entertainment. What will be the new directions for the next edition (April 11 to 13, 2025), in which, like every year, The Point will join in leading numerous public meetings? The general director of the Paris Book Festival speaks to Point.
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The Point: What does the return of the festival under the glass roof of the legendary Grand Palais mean to you?
Pierre-Yves Bérenguer: A joy. The festival was born under this large glass roof in 1981 before relocating to Porte de Versailles in 1994 until the pandemic of 2019. Returning there is therefore symbolically very strong, but the aesthetic charge is just as great. The place is magnificent, and I see every day with publishers and professionals in the book industry how much this return to the Grand Palais is awaited. Personally, I have very good memories there, because I had the privilege of coordinating the exhibition Fly, sail, travel Louis Vuitton! in the Salon d'Honneur, in 2015.
In fact, this is the first edition of the Paris Book Festival for which you are responsible. How would you introduce yourself and how you approach this new challenge?
I have been working in the field of what we call “cultural engineering” for 30 years. Concretely, I have sometimes been an artistic director, sometimes a producer, designer or organizer of major public events for local authorities, but always linked to artistic creation. In particular, I was able to collaborate with the digital and cinematographic cultural industries in 2009 as producer of Futur en Seine, with the theater by producing two editions of the Oise Festival at the theater with René de Obaldia and Jean-Michel Ribes, with the music by organizing concerts for Catherine Ringer, Véronique Sanson or Sergent Garcia and electronic nights. Street arts are also a field that I practiced a lot by producing Générik Vapeur or Royal de Luxe, just like art in the city as general coordinator of A summer in Le Havre in 2017 for the 500 years of the city. Finally, I was responsible for cultural operations of the culture department of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and in particular in charge of the program called “Cultural Olympiad”.
That’s it for the presentations! How will you apply all these experiences to a book festival?
The event will be 44 years old in 2025 and I of course wish to be part of this continuity. We must integrate all the constraints of a heritage site while meeting the legitimate expectations of an entire sector. For the 2024 edition, 20,000 book references were present at the Festival, and more than 96,000 books were sold for a turnover of 1.3 million euros. 103,000 visitors were welcomed there, 43% of whom were under 25 years old. It is therefore an essential meeting for the sector. But the idea of moving a few lines is close to my heart, because it involves displaying new ambitions for the Festival. For this, I rely on an experienced and committed team and can count on the support of the National Publishing Union and its members.
Quantitatively, we will gain around 36% in volume compared to last year. These spaces will be devoted to both increasing the number of publishers (+120 publishing houses compared to 2024 as we speak), particularly small and young publishing houses from across the France. The marketing of books will be handed over to publishers, as well as the organization of signings. On the programming side, we are keeping the 6 stages installed in the heart of the Nave. 330 authors will be invited to 160 meetings scheduled by our 5 programmers (Adélaïde Fabre for fiction/poetry, Cédric Duroux for non-fiction/poetry, Sophie Van der Linden for youth, Romain Brethes, collaborator of Pointfor comics / pop culture and Marion Escudé for young adult) who will “cross” literary genres with each other on different stages. In total, more than 1,200 authors will be signing over the 3 days.
Does your experience of live performance make you want to move the Festival in this direction?
The place of books and reading remains central, but yes, we are opening the Festival to other artistic fields, including “live performance”. We are planning a surprise during the inauguration and will, in particular, host the literary festival “Extra! » which is interested in literature “outside the book”, crossed with performance, visual arts or fashion. It is a co-production with the Center Pompidou and the Réunion des musées nationaux and the Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées and the theme will be that of “Literary Cabaret”. Cinema will not be left out since we are creating a “Grande adaptation gallery” in co-production with Scelf (Société Civile de l’Edition Literaire). It will highlight literary adaptations for cinema or in the form of series and will include a system dedicated to audio books.
Will you continue with the idea of a guest country? Which one will it be, and what are you preparing for us around this “literary destination”?
This week is decisive, we should be sure of the presence of the invited country before the end of year celebrations. The principle of the guest country of honor has proven its worth over many editions, but it must be renewed. We are also working to diversify these invitations, in particular by highlighting regions or cities around the world with talented authors. More countries will exhibit at the Paris Book Festival, because this is in line with the international dimension of the Festival. But I would say that we extend this invitation to major contemporary issues. 2025 is a decisive year for the sea, particularly through the major United Nations conference which will take place in Nice. The Paris Book Festival will therefore, this year, echo this year of the sea by making it its transversal theme, in partnership with the Ministry of the Sea. We will discuss in particular the literature of overseas territories, the great explorers or the issues linked to the preservation of its biodiversity and the oceans.
Have you designed specific programming for young audiences and adolescents, whose reading practice is decreasing and for whom it is necessary to deploy treasures of seduction to bring them back to books?
Many studies, it is true, reveal a loss of taste for reading among our young people. But as I told you, 43% of our visitors last year were under 25 years old. When we refine these figures, we see that the population was mainly made up of 15/25 year olds. This is why, while maintaining other genres at the same level, we choose to strengthen the presence of genres directly aimed at young people such as children's literature, comics and manga. This was missing… The stated objective is to attract a family audience by increasing our offering. I would also like to thank the publishing houses who have heard this desire and who have confirmed, in force, their presence since we are doubling the number of houses present compared to 2024. To welcome this family audience, a member of the The team is dedicated to educational missions and is already collaborating with educational organizations in the region. The idea is to welcome school groups on Friday April 11, the day before the holidays, and many families on the weekend of April 12 and 13. For this, a 200 m children's village2 will be located in the heart of the Nave with two animated systems: a fun and reading space and a programming space offering creative workshops.
How much will the entry cost?
It remains free for those under 25 and professionals, teachers, librarians, etc. Beyond that, the price will be 5 euros in advance and 9 euros on site.
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This festival is also a major meeting for players in the profession, in a sector which is currently experiencing a real capital upheaval and is questioning issues such as best-selling, concentration in large groups, self-publishing , the weight of artificial intelligence, television advertising, the maintenance of a certain cultural diversity… Do you consider yourself a partner in these essential reflections, and what will your action consist of?
The Paris Book Festival must once again become this major annual meeting of the inter-profession, this is what the sector is asking of us and this is part of our mandate. We are already working with the entire book ecosystem (SNE, CNL, SOFIA, CFC, LivreEmploi, etc.) in order to schedule professional meetings that meet these challenges, on Friday April 11 in the morning. The subjects that you mention and to which we could add copyright or second-hand books are treated throughout the year by these bodies and their expert commissions. For us, it is about entering into resonance with these major themes and allowing professionals in the sector to debate them in the best conditions. The Festival has chosen to expand the space dedicated to welcoming professionals and partners, by setting up a 600 m gallery2 on the ground floor of the Grand Palais. Our major partners, public and private, will also have the opportunity to express themselves and share meetings around the challenges of the sector, but not only that. The increase and diversification of our programming with the presence of cinematographic previews, music, theater, visual arts or the maritime theme in 2025 opens up new possible encounters and we will take advantage of them.
