Marcel Pagnol will be honored at the Aubagne children's book festival

The idea was hatched last year: to further highlight the Aubagnais festival of Books and children's speech, we needed a headliner, a known author. In 2023, it was Rébecca Dautremer and her indescribable rabbit Jacominus Gainsborough.

Well this year, the star of Grains de sel is none other than… Marcel Pagnol, since this year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of his death. His memory and his work will therefore be represented at the festival, which takes place from November 21 to 24, by Serge Scotto, screenwriter of the comic strip adaptation of the novels of the famous Aubagnais academician, and by Christelle Galland, designer for Jean de Florette et Manon of the sources – we note that she created the poster for this edition. Vincent Fernandel, grandson of the famous actor, will also be present, who will read aloud extracts from Pagnol's works. Finally, the Aubagne conservatory will give a show inspired by Topaz.

But if you like to escape from the Aubagnais triptych Pagnol-argile-Légion, don't panic: around twenty authors and illustrators (read below) from different backgrounds will also be present, in the classrooms on Thursday and Friday as part of artistic and cultural education – this concerns around 4,000 children -, and at the Espace des libertés on Saturday and Sunday for signing sessions and public presentations surrounded by piles of books.