Lectures sous le marronnier à la Maison Julien Gracq

The Maison Julien Gracq has put together a programme just right for this new day to be spent within its walls.

11.30 am – 12.30 pm Reading on a toue
Follow in the footsteps of the writer-in-residence as she travels along the Loire – a literary interlude with Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse.
Admission fee applies; booking required

12.30 pm – 2.00 pm Picnic in the gardens

2.00 pm – 2.30 pm Guided tour: Archipels
The Maison Julien Gracq presents a selection of works from the Nantes-based collector Alain Le Provost, revealed through the prism of literature and the world of books, echoing the universe of Julien Gracq. Through conceptual and poetic approaches, sometimes exploring the immaterial, the works in the *Archipels* exhibition revolve around notions of erasure, transformation and experiences of the limit, opening up new perspectives.
Artists featured: Jérémie Bennequin, Olivier Debré, Fred Deux, Damien Dion, Marcel Duchamp, Sharka Hyland, Francis Picabia, Claude Rutault, Élisabeth Tonnard, Christophe Viart, Emmanuelle Villard.

3.00 pm – 3.45 pm Storytelling for little ones and afternoon tea
As part of the cultural holidays, let’s meet in the shade of a teepee to discover stories of landscapes, walks and more… after this literary session, we’ll share some afternoon tea!

3.00 pm – 4.00 pm Special talk with Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse
Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse was born in Butare, Rwanda, in 1979. On 18 June 1994, a few weeks before the end of the genocide, whilst still a teenager, her life was saved thanks to a Swiss humanitarian convoy and a lie she told. Drawing on reflections about the act of bearing witness and the value of traces, blending archival research with personal writing, *Le Convoi* is a sober and deeply moving book: it makes an essential contribution to the reclaiming and passing on of this collective memory. Her first novel, *Tous tes enfants dispersés*, won the Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie, and *Consolée*, her second novel, won the 2023 Prix Kourouma; both, published by Autrement, have been widely acclaimed by the press and booksellers.

4.15 pm – 5.00 pm Les Préférences with Philippe Mathé
As a prelude to the Les Préférences festival, actor and reader Philippe Mathé will read texts by the authors invited to this 5th edition, taking place between 15 and 20 September.

5.15 pm – 6.30 pm *Vestige*
Forging surreal connections between text, juggling and dance, performer Johan Swartvagher – armed with his hay clubs, a tree branch and a pile of earth – transports us to a place that is both absurd and melancholic. Here, juggling and words become fallible.