literature and local authors in the spotlight in Lacanau with a first book fair this Saturday, November 9

Lhe birth of a book fair is always good news, especially in a world increasingly dominated by social networks and this addiction to the smartphone, forcing the brain to be hyperconnected. Access to literature must be defended to make people want to read, to remind them that openness to the world and to knowledge is also and above all found in books.

By organizing its very first book fair, the town of Lacanau is part of this movement. With two edutainment libraries (city and ocean), the local population already has dynamic structures. An event bringing together authors and attracting the public is an additional stone in the building. Culture forward.

Talented authors to discover

This Saturday, November 9, within the walls of the village hall of Lacanau-ville, place for the baptism of “Lacanau throws the ink”. Around thirty authors will be present all day to interact with visitors, tell their stories, offer travel and dreams. The municipality of Lacanau chose the designer Cromwell as its guest of honor. He will present his graphic works and, in preview, the release of his next album (January 2025) entitled “Bâtard”, after Jack London, from the publisher Dupuis. His exhibition “For adults” will be visible until November 30, l’Escoure room in Lacanau-Océan. The opening took place Friday evening.

By entering the village hall, the public will also be able to meet local authors and discover the literary wealth of the region. Lacanau demonstrates great cultural vitality, notably with Stéphane Dehos, author of the thriller “Marée Blanche” published by Éditions Cairn.

This novel tells the fate of Tao, a surfer who, on the northern beach of Lacanau, discovers a bundle of several kilos of cocaine. The story echoes a real news story: in November 2019, more than 1,200 kilos of cocaine were found on the Atlantic coast, and a 17-year-old boy was even arrested in Lacanau in possession of 5 kilos. Inspired by this event, Stéphane Dehos immerses us in the mysterious and wild environment of the Atlantic coast, between forest, dunes and marshes. During the show, he will also present his new work, “La Mue”, which he self-published.

In a completely different register, Gwenaëlle Saillour, specialist in children’s literature, will tell the story of Monoï and the Dune, Sparkly the Turtle, an adventure which takes place on the beach of Lacanau, where a turtle emerges from the water and a rabbit takes refuge near the ocean. A tale that was a great success with young readers. “Sparkly, on the Road to Bali” is the continuation of this captivating story.

A project supported by the City

Finally, Cédric Grèze, owner of the HCL surf and bodyboard school, will share his love of the ocean and literature. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when he no longer had access to beaches closed to the public, Cédric wrote “Le Rire de Poséidon” in a few weeks, published by Maïa. This book bears witness to this historical period, marked by the ban on access to nature: “A woman arrives on the top of a dune and looks at the ocean. How he missed it! These long days locked up without being able to go surfing were extremely painful for him…”

As for the town of Lacanau, Cyrille Reneleau, deputy mayor in charge of culture, specifies that the objective of this fair is to highlight local authors, mainly those from Lacanau and Médoc. The organization of this event was made possible thanks to the involvement of the city’s cultural department, its game media libraries and the support of local bookstores. The elected official underlines that the opening of “Lacanau throws ink” should have taken place earlier, but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, after this difficult period, cultural life is resuming, and the authors have been able to bounce back, inspired by the events that have marked recent years.