After 30 years running a farm, Jean-François Jambou chose a less demanding profession: bookseller. From milking cows to the smell of paper, he bet on a new life.
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At 57, this former farmer has chosen to swap the fields for a life surrounded by books. Originally from Morbihan, Jean-François Jambou is a man with an astonishing career. He now devotes himself to his lifelong passion: literature. But six months ago, Jean-François managed a farm of 90 cows. After 30 years on the farm, it is between the pages that he now finds his happiness.
No more morning milking, from now on every morning Jean-François carefully classifies the works in his Maison de la Presse in Locminé. He swapped the smell of the farm for that of books. “I love the smell of paper”he confides enthusiastically. “The first thing I do when I open a book is smell it.” If he sometimes misses the smell of nature, he savors this new ritual amid hundreds of literary references.
Despite this radical change, Jean-François remains marked by his 30 years spent raising cows. “I had been milking cows since I was 4 or 5 years old”he remembers with nostalgia.
Working on the farm was a family affair, a deeply rooted tradition. But faced with physical exhaustion and constraints, he made the decision to leave agriculture. “Rather than risk everything a few years before retirement, I chose a less demanding profession.”
If Jean-François left the fields, it was also to respond to a long-repressed passion. In 2005, a significant experience as a juror for the Livre Inter was a turning point. “That’s where literature took over in my life”he admits. Since then, he has turned his love of words into a profession, even slipping little personal words onto book covers to guide his customers.
The passion for books is not new. “I devoured Jules Verne novels as a child, I always asked for adventure books for Christmas”says Jean-François. For him, a good book must shake and change the person who reads it.
His favorite author? Jérôme Ferrari, whose sharp outlook on the world and Corsica he admires. A man who, like Jean-François, is not afraid of taking unexpected paths.
Jean-François embodies the art of changing your life, with disarming serenity and passion. By trading cows for books, he proves that age has no influence on dreams. His Maison de la Presse continued to grow, as did his love for literature.
with Robin Durand
