From Friday to Sunday, more than 200 authors will gather at Jardin Albert 1er for the Book Festival. The 2025 edition aims to celebrate literature in all its forms, around the theme “Taking to the Open Sea”, in connection with the Ocean Summit, scheduled in two weeks.
This Friday at 3 PM, the 29th edition of the Nice Book Festival will be officially launched by Christian Estrosi, the Horizons mayor of Nice. This opening will include the awarding of the Nice Baie des Anges prize to Andreï Makine, a member of the French Academy, for his novel “Prisonnier du rêve écarlate” (Grasset).
At the same time, youth will be honored: Florence Hinckel will receive the Students’ Book of Nice prize for “Chun, le panda baby-sitter. 33 rue des Tilleuls” (Nathan), a humorous and tender work that has charmed Nice’s schoolchildren. A double distinction to open a festival under the sign of dreams and transmission.
A theme: “Taking to the Open Sea”
A theme to look towards the horizon and question the world. The theme “Taking to the Open Sea”, chosen for this edition, resonates with the ecological and intellectual commitments of the festival. It also echoes the United Nations Ocean Conference, from June 9 to June 13, thereby aligning with the aim of preserving our planet.
Honored president of the festival, Allain Bougrain Dubourg, journalist and naturalist, embodies this edition as a heartfelt plea for biodiversity and wonder. Taking to the open sea, he reminds us, is about “paying attention to the humblest creatures, too often ignored. Enter the intimacy of the spider weaving its web, observe the shrew uncovering a larva, linger on the lizard licking its eye and you take to the open sea. Being curious about nature generates escape, an invitation to the unexpected and the enigmatic. “
This edition also takes to the open sea… towards the cosmos. Three astrophysicists — Jean-Pierre Luminet, Christophe Galfard, and Éric Lagadec — will transport the public far beyond the waves. From the James Webb telescope to the poetry of galaxies, attendees will be able to contemplate the mystery of the universe.
Three days to meet, read, dream
Under the artistic direction of Franz-Olivier Giesbert, the festival promises a myriad of events. More than 200 authors will occupy the Jardin Albert 1er and Nice’s municipal cultural venues. Readings, signings, debates, shows, screenings, children’s activities… Each moment will be an opportunity to embark on a new literary adventure.
Among the headliners: Sylvain Tesson, Arnaud de la Grange, Virginia Tangvald, Christophe Ono-dit-Biot, Simonetta Greggio, Olivier Weber, Maud Fontenoy, and Didier van Cauwelaert. All, in their own way, invite to escape, to reflection, to alertness. Finally, Kamel Daoud, winner of the 2024 Goncourt for “Houris (Gallimard)“, will be one of the most anticipated guests. His work, banned in Algeria, traverses the pains of the black decade and the intimate wounds of history.
Practical information
Location: Jardin Albert 1er, Nice
Dates: From May 30 to June 1, 2025, from 10 AM to 7 PM
Free Entry – access via Place Masséna
Complete program: lefestivaldulivredenice.com
