In Saint-Florent-le-Vieil (Maine-et-Loire), the Cateano storm no longer raises waves on the Loire but an evil wind blows on the Julien-Gracq house. Like all local cultural institutions, it is affected by the radical reduction in funding for the Pays de Loire region that elected officials should adopt at the initiative of President Christelle Morançais (Horizons), on December 19 and 20.
“In 2025, we will lose 50% of our allocation, or nearly 77,000 euros out of an annual budget of 350,000 euros,” laments Jérémy Fabre, director of the premises. For 2026, we are talking about total disengagement. »
The board meeting of November 21, chaired by Armel Pécheul (DVD), regional advisor to the majority, heightened fears. “One month before the new season, it’s irrational,” says Jérémy Fabre. The house was created in 2012, after the great writer Julien Gracq bequeathed his property to the town so that it could host authors in residence. At the time, the region had invested two million euros in the project. »
Since then, the institution has welcomed 120 creators, organizes an annual festival, and shines in the Pays de la Loire and beyond. “Tourist guides cite us,” observes Jérémy Fabre. “Should we lay off people, reduce the number of residences, the scope of the festival? » he asks.
Michèle Pedinielli, rising star of crime fiction, who completed her next novel here, “A Single Eye” (L’Aube, January 2025), judges that “this blow to culture is a choice”: “I fell from the 'cupboard. The house is a great bubble but we go out for exchanges in schools, in nursing homes. Its disappearance would be terrible, especially for small towns. »
Thursday, November 28, nearly 600 cultural actors from Maine-et-Loire demonstrated their anger in Angers. Slogan: “We don’t bury culture. »
