If the Little Prince were told to me: reading Monday December 30 in Bourges

It was the first book he read. “I had been in CP for three months of CP. I reread it fifty years later to my son, who was the same age. »

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry holds a special place in the life of actor Rafael Vaillant. “For me, it is a work of philosophy. It’s also something we can share for Christmas, like the film It’s a Wonderful Life by Frank Capra. It gives off an atmosphere of happiness, which we need at the moment. Because even if the Little Prince dies at the end, for me, it is not a real death, but transcendence. The Little Prince symbolizes our inner child. The one we keep or not within us. »

“A reading and a book club”

Monday December 30, at 3 p.m., the actor gives a reading of the Little Prince at the Tourne-Livres association, in Bourges. “It will be quite informal,” explains Rafael Vaillant. The idea was to read the most read literary work in the world (read opposite) and to offer spectators who want to – I perfectly understand the shyness – the opportunity to play one of the characters. I will be the narrator. »

The appointment could last two hours, with breaks. “I imagine it as a reading and a book club. I want there to be moments of exchange. Calm. »

“To play roles is to be inhabited”

Rafael Vaillant owes his passion for theater to an encounter. “Before, my hobby was role-playing games. And then on a shoot, I met Jenny Torres, she told me that she had a theater company, Maleluka, and to come and see it. »

Love at first sight with the theater sweeps away his fears of having to learn texts. He has since worked with Maleluka and the Avaricum company. “To play roles is to be inhabited. It’s a hobby that suits me. There is no greater pleasure than the stage. Through art, time disappears. »

Expo of Little Prince in ten languages

Rafael had suggested this reading to the association that sells second-hand books some time ago. “I had kept that in a corner of my notes,” remembers the president of Tourne-Livres, Hélène Pointu. Our desire is to bring in youth, children and people from the neighborhood. Let them get into the habit of pushing open the door of the store. »

The reading is accompanied by an exhibition of books from Little Prince translated into ten languages.

Marie-Claire Raymond

Practical. Meet at 3 p.m., Monday, December 30, at the Tourne-Livres association, 16, rue Hippolyte-Boyer, in Bourges. Bus line no. 1. Free entry.