While it is almost time to put away the yellow and black kakemonos from the festival, the hall of the André-Labarrère media library is still full. This Sunday at the end of the day, readers are still chatting with the thirty guest writers and the publishing godmother, Dolores Redondo, is distributing smiles and personalized autographs to fans.
“There were 250 people to meet her on Thursday evening in Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle and most of the meetings were full,” rejoices Stéphane Laborde, one of the organizers of the event. Although the attendance figures are not yet known, the counting by the media library’s sensors suggests “a record attendance”. According to booksellers, sales were also very good, with several authors running out of books to sign as of Sunday afternoon.
The Basque thriller author Dolores Redondo inaugurated Un Aller-voy dans le noir in the company of Stéphane Laborde, organizer of the event and François Bayrou.
David Le Deodic
For the first time this year, two authors of thrillers for children went to meet pupils from CE1 to CM2 in several establishments in Pau and the surrounding area, ahead of the event. “The children and their parents came back during the weekend to pick up books,” enthuses the organizer.
Enthusiasts meet
On Saturday, some faithful were there well before opening time, like Christine. “I left Bayonne this morning at 9:00 a.m., I come every year for the occasion.” In his arms 6 autographed works. “The problem is that I don’t speak Spanish and Dolores Redondo autographed it for me in her native language. » She adores the godmother whose novels she has read, “there is a power in the writing that grabs you immediately”, she explains.
David Le Deodic
American illustrator Miles Hyman, guest of the 2024 Black Book Fair in Pau, dedicates each of his works with a drawing. Happy readers.
Anne-Sarah, 32, a French teacher in Lestelle-Bétharram, plans to go and listen to the “Women’s Stories” round table. She signed a work written by eight hands around female criminals. “We don’t always believe in female violence so that interested me,” confides the reader.
The king of crime fiction in majesty
The star guest of the event, the American writer James Ellroy, a specialist in rather masculine violence, will not have lived up to his reputation as a showman. Voluble on stage when he met his audience, he answered questions in foul language, sometimes roaring for spectators who were asking for more. “He put on the show, but he is very professional, like the Americans are and he did not consume the festival as we might have feared,” confides the organizer.
David Le Deodic
James Ellroy did not fail to entertain his audience on the stage of the Saint-Louis theater, during a meeting with the public, Saturday October 5.
At the Saint-Louis theater, the writer looked back on his success in bookstores since the publication of his first novel, in 1987 with Éditions Rivages/Noir. “I have been on the ‘New York Times’ bestseller list four times, but in France, a country 10 times smaller than the United States, I sell four and a half times as many books, to you, the best readers of the world! »
Overalls, beard and southern accent, writer David Joy analyzes his own success in France a little differently: “I think the French are more courageous readers. I would say that the difference lies in the fact that readers here are not afraid to read works that challenge them, impact them, whether on a social, philosophical or religious level. American readers prefer the comfort of happy endings. » So much for the cocorico.
The 2025 edition will have the theme “An English garden”.
