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The Grand Palais will host the fourth edition of the Paris Book Festival from April 11 to 13, 2025. This year, Morocco will be the guest of honor, with a strong presence of national and dual-national authors—both emerging and established—as well as scholars and researchers. For the organizers, the aim is to «rekindle fraternal ties here and elsewhere, across the seas, in an international context where memories and imaginations are contested».
According to Pierre-Yves Bérenguer, the festival’s general director, the Kingdom will showcase «the richness of its history and culture at the crossroads of Mediterranean civilizations». Morocco’s pavilion will occupy a central place at the festival, including a conference space that will host authors and researchers throughout the three-day event.
On Friday, April 11, the pavilion will feature a session with Asma Lamrabet, who will present her book Islam and Fundamental Freedoms: For a Universal Ethic (ed. En toutes lettres). A member of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Lamrabet will also participate in a thematic roundtable titled Moroccan Heritage through the Lens of its Pluralism – Being Moroccan: An Open Citizenship.
Among the other featured participants are Monique Elgrichi, communications expert and CEO of the Mosaïk group; Ahmed Boukous, rector of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM); and Driss El Yazami, president of the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME).
A Tribute to Writers Past and Present
The program Glimpses of Committed Writing will pay tribute to the late Driss Chraïbi, marking the 70th anniversary of his novel Les Boucs, one of the most poignant literary works on immigration and North African laborers in France. The event will include contributions from Kebir Mustapha Ammi (In Search of Glitter Faraday, Tantara), Zineb Mekouar (Remember the Bees, Gallimard), and Sheena Chraïbi, the late author’s wife.
A theatrical performance titled Harems, based on the works of Fatéma Mernissi, will be staged by actresses Amal Ayouch and Sanae Assif. Directed by Anne-Laure Liégeois, the performance will blend text, image, and music to explore gender dynamics in the Muslim world with Mernissi’s signature humor and insight.
On Saturday, April 12, the pavilion will host a discussion with Leïla Slimani on her book I Will Take the Fire (Gallimard). Another roundtable, Morocco, an Atlantic Destiny: Morocco–France, an Ocean Shared, will feature Abdallah Saaf (professor and director of the Center for Studies and Research in Social Sciences), Driss Guerraoui (president of the Open University of Dakhla), and Alain Juillet (honorary president of the Academy of Economic Intelligence).
Writer and educator Driss Jaydane will present his novel Moses of Casa (Les Avrils). As part of the Glimpses of Committed Writing series, a tribute will also be paid to Edmond Amran El Maleh. The discussion will feature royal advisor André Azoulay (president of the Essaouira-Mogador Association Foundation), researcher Mohamed Tozy, and filmmaker Simone Bitton, author of a biographical documentary on El Maleh.
Visual Storytelling and New Generations
The initiative Writing Between Two Shores: Khaliya 3, from Here and Elsewhere will highlight the namesake comic book project, a creative bridge between cultures and generations. The third edition of this project brought together ten young artists from Morocco, France, and Belgium to explore «connection in all its forms—roots, transmission, memory, family, friendship, and otherness». The presentation will feature illustrators Aicha Abouhaj and Ibticem Larbi, alongside Amine Hamma of the Hiba Foundation.
On Sunday, April 13, Rahal Boubrik will present his book The Sahara Question: At the Origins of a Colonial Invention (1884–1975) (La Croisée des Chemins). A roundtable titled Femininity Between Two Shores? A Feminine Perspective on Migration? will bring together novelists, scholars, and historians to discuss migration through a gendered lens. Participants include Samira El Ayachi (The Belly of Men, ed. de l’Aube), Yasmine Chami (Casablanca Circus, Actes Sud), and Kaoutar Harchi (Thus the Animal and Us, Actes Sud).
Beyond literature, the Moroccan pavilion will showcase other elements of the country's heritage. A screening of Moroccan Caftan: A Journey Through the Hands of its Artisans by Yohann Charrin Durée will be held in the auditorium. Later the same day, Salah El-Ouadie will present Journey of a 20th Century Survivor (Centre culturel du livre), joined by Driss El Yazami.
The festival will also honor Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine, with support from the CCME, the Academy of the Kingdom, and Le Fennec publishing house, which has just reissued seven of the late author’s works.
Interactive Spaces and Author Meet-and-Greets
An autograph area supported by the CCME will feature Moroccan authors such as Mohammed Nedali (It’s Night Among the Berbers and The Moroccan School, Diagnosis of a Former Teacher), Zineb Mekouar, Leïla Bahsaïn (What I Know About Mr. Jacques), Youssouf Amine Elalami (Life Suits Him So Well), Hajar Azell (The Meaning of Escape), Abdellatif Laâbi (The Anthology of Gazaoui Poetry and Hope Snatched, Almost Nothings), Rachid Benzine (The Silence of Fathers), and Souad Jamaï (The Fairy Version).
La Grande Dictée returns this year at the Petit Palais, led by Augustin Trapenard and Rachid Santaki. Starting April 11, French-language lovers will tackle texts themed around the sea. Participating authors include Emma Green, Tatiana de Rosnay, and Leïla Slimani. The event is designed to «celebrate the richness of the French language in a convivial setting» that combines critical thinking and playfulness.
To engage younger visitors, the Moroccan pavilion will feature a children’s space hosting the game 1001 Questions About Morocco, led by journalist and producer Nadia Larguet and illustrator Myriem Chraïbi. Designed to be both fun and educational, the game introduces Moroccan heritage through questions on history, geography, art, sports, and culture.
The Paris Book Festival spans eleven stages, offering «an expanded program» that «crosses literary genres and fosters connections with other artistic disciplines such as cinema, live performance, visual arts, photography, and music through shows, exhibitions, installations, and performances».
Promoting «a resolutely convivial and festive spirit», the event aims to be a space for «all literatures». In 2024, the festival welcomed 103,000 visitors—45% of whom were under 25.
