As part of the Nights of Reading, the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, wished to pay tribute to Christian Bobin. During this evening open to the public entitled «Night of the Heart», selected texts of the writer will resonate within the ministry, interspersed with musical time to remember the one who enchanted our silences and brightened our lives.
This year, the Reading nights come back from 19 to 22 January 2023 for a second edition organized by the National Book Centre. On this occasion the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, wished to pay tribute on Friday, January 20 to Christian Bobin, the writer-poet disappeared in November 2022. During this evening open to the general public and entitled «Night of the Heart», chosen texts of the writer will resonate within the framework of the ministry, interspersed with musical time to remember him who enchanted our silences and brightened our lives.
Animated by the Minister of Culture, this «Night of the Heart» will bring together close to Christian Bobin, authors, personalities of the literary world, musicians and anonymous readers who, all, can read some pages of the poet writer and greet his memory by embodying his texts.
Throughout the evening, a reading room will also be open, with books by Christian Bobin to read on site and video archives streamed.
By opening for the first time the doors of the ministry to the general public for this night out of time, the Minister of Culture wished to embody the importance of reading, whether collective or individual, to give meaning to our lives and broaden our horizons.
This event is organized in partnership with Éditions Gallimard, Comédie Française and Printemps des poètes, and with the complicity of publishers Fata Morgana and Lettres Vives.
On the programme
- From 8:00 to 9:30, you will hear Engé Quartet, a gypsy jazz group, listen to a reading aloud by the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak; you will hear an extract of The mad pace read by Sophie Nauleau, as well as readings by Antoine Gallimard, François Busnel and the actors of the Comédie-Française troupe. The public will also have the opportunity to read aloud some pages of Christian Bobin.
- From 9:30 to 11:00, you can listen to Daniel Pennac read the preface ofA little party dress accompanied by his daughter, Alice Pennacchioni, at the piano for an original composition; you will listen to an extract of Very low by Laure Adler and attend readings of the Comédie-Française, Jean-Pierre Siméon, Clotilde de Bayser and André Velter to the rhythm of musical interludes provided by Engé Quartet, a gypsy jazz group. The public will also have the opportunity to read aloud some pages of Christian Bobin.
- From 11pm to 2am read texts interpreted by Suliane Brahim and Clément Hervieu Léger, actors of the Comédie-Française troupe, and by Augustin Trapenard, and reading fountains where you can read your favorite passage, a dialogue in reading between the hall and the actors as well as the concert of Engé Quartet, a gypsy jazz group and piano interludes by students of the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris.
Note: the programming of this event is likely to evolve with the participation of new players.
In practice
Friday, January 20, 2023
from 8 pm to 2 am
Ministry of Culture
3 rue de Valois - 75001 PARIS
Registration required
Free entry within the limit of places available
