From May 30 to June 1, the city of Nice will host the 29th edition of its Book Festival. This year, it is themed “Setting Sail.” Between escape, reflection, and ecological commitment, this literary event stands out as an essential cultural rendezvous.
Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, inaugurated the festival, emphasizing “the importance of these cultural times where our solidarity is expressed through books.” This takes place in a context marked by the Ocean Summit which will be held next June in Nice.
Under the presidency of Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, an advocate for animal and environmental causes, the festival honors authors committed to the planet. For Franz-Olivier Giesbert, the festival’s artistic director, “the theme of setting sail was a clear choice,” stated Christian Estrosi. Among the standout guests is Sylvain Tesson, whose novel White recounts a solitary journey along the Alpine ridges.
References to Jean Giono, a pioneering ecological writer, remind us that this awareness is not new. As early as 1959, he called for a different relationship with the living world. The mayor of Nice emphasizes that this “theme is more relevant than ever.”
An Acclaimed Historical Narrative
The Nice Baie des Anges Prize is awarded to Andreï Makine of the French Academy for his novel Prisoner of the Scarlet Dream. A poignant narrative between France and the USSR, it intertwines historical memory, identity, and personal destiny. Presented by Christian Estrosi on May 30, this prize is part of a tradition started in 1996, annually rewarding a French-language novel distinguished by exacting and sensitive writing on the great questions of our time.
The festival also highlights young writers. The school writing contest, themed The Disappeared Pebbles, drew over 500 entries, around a hundred of which were selected. This reflects a strong enthusiasm for writing and an early sensitivity to environmental issues. The awarding of a youth prize, The Book of Nice Students, voted by third-cycle students (CM1, CM2, and 6th grade), will announce its winner, Chun, the Panda Babysitter, on May 30.
