Scenography on the square of the Olympe de Gouges Theater©PhilippeColinScenography on the square of the Olympe de Gouges Theater©PhilippeColin
©Scenography on the square of the Olympe de Gouges Theater©PhilippeColin|© Philippe Colin

Autumn letters

Literary Festival #35
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The must-attend literary event

Since 1991, Lettres d’Automne has been lighting up the end of November in the Occitanie region, transforming Montauban and its surrounding area into a veritable literary capital. Each year, this unique festival celebrates the richness of contemporary French-language literature, offering two weeks based around a theme and a contemporary French-language literary work.

Dernière mise à jour le : 21 July 2025
35th edition from 17 to 30 November 2025in Montauban and Occitanie

“PAR CŒUR ET PAR CORPS, MOT A MOT” with Marie-Hélène Lafon and 80 writers and artists In November, Montauban lives to the rhythm of Lettres d’automne!

Opening night on Tuesday 18 November at 6.30pm with Marie-Hélène Lafon.

More information and detailed programme to follow

    Guest of honour 2025

    Marie-Hélène LAFON
    Lafon Marie Helene HorizolivierrollerLafon Marie Helene Horizolivierroller
    ©Lafon Marie Helene Horizolivierroller|OLIVIER ROLLER

      This year, Lettres d’Automne welcomes Marie-Hélène Lafon as its guest of honour. The author of novels and short stories, most of which are rooted in the rural world of her native Cantal, she embodies the kind of literature based on the land and authenticity that resonates deeply with the festival’s identity.

      Marie-Hélène Lafon’s work stands out for its unique ability to give voice to characters locked in silence, who exist only through their bodies and gestures. This sensitive yet powerful literary approach explores the unspoken aspects of the rural world with remarkable accuracy.

      Her talent has been recognised by a number of prestigious awards: the Prix Goncourt for short stories in 2016 (Histoires, Buchet-Chastel) and the Prix Renaudot in 2020 (Histoire du fils, Buchet-Chastel). These awards testify to the critical and popular recognition enjoyed by this singular author.

      A festival of letters and numbers...

      A festival in constant evolution

      Lettres d’Automne continues to grow and shine. The figures for the 2024 edition bear witness to this vitality: 2 weeks of festival, 96 authors, publishers, artists, 128 eventsfor all audiences, 17,933 festival-goers, including 3,555 schoolchildren. These figures illustrate the scale of this major cultural event and its strong roots in the educational and social fabric of the region.

      An exceptional literary legacy

      Over the years, the festival has welcomed some of the greatest voices in contemporary French-language literature. The guests of honour at previous editions of the festival have included some of the world’s best-known authors: Jakuta Alikavazovic and Sylvain Prudhomme (2024), Maylis de Kerangal (2023), Alice Zeniter and Pierre Ducrozet (2022), Mathias Enard (2021), Léonora Miano, Mathias Enard and Patrick Chamoiseau (2020), testifying to the high standards and prestige of this literary event.

      This continuity of excellence makes Lettres d’Automne a privileged observatory of trends and developments in contemporary literary creation, a place of discovery and dialogue between authors and their readers.
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