


For the opening of its permanent exhibition “Populaire?”, the Mucem commissioned four writers to write around a hundred labels to bring out the poetics of the objects on display.
To mark the “Nuits de la lecture”, the Mucem is dedicating a weekend to literature from January 19 to 21, with meetings with Roberto Saviano and Sorj Chalandon, the exceptional filming of the program La Grande Librairie presented by Augustin Trapenard, a creation by Clotilde Mollet and Hervé Pierre about objects, our intimacy and how they tell us, readings, shows and many other surprises to discover in the full program.
With the complicity of the festival Oh les beaux jours!
As part of the Nuits de la lecture (Reading Nights), a national event presented by the Centre national du livre (Cnl).
Friday, January 19
11 a.m. – Auditorium – Event reserved for invited classes
An object, a class, an author with Lucile Bordes, Arthur Dreyfus and Mucem curators
Preceded by a 1-hour visit to the “Populaire?” exhibition (between 9 and 11 a.m.)
For its new permanent exhibition “Populaire?”, the Mucem has commissioned writers to write the labels accompanying the objects on display, reflecting both their curiosity and their ability to tell stories.
Eight classes are invited to the Mucem to visit the exhibition from 9am, then at 11am the students meet in the museum auditorium to discuss some forty photographs of objects in the presence of writers Lucile Bordes and Arthur Dreyfus. A quiz will allow students to express their opinions on the objects and imagine a function for them.
A Mucem curator will compare the young public’s hypotheses with the scientific viewpoint on the objects. The two writers will then explain their writing process.
This meeting is the starting point for a writing competition, which will enable each participant to write a personal account of a chosen object, or a micro-history rooted in the collective imagination, over the following weeks.
A jury comprising Lucile Bordes, Arthur Dreyfus, members of the Mucem and the Oh les beaux jours! festival artistic team will select one winner per class. Their prizes will be awarded during the Oh les beaux jours! (May 22-26, 2024) and their contributions will be promoted on Mucem’s social networks and in the exhibition.
8pm – Invitation-only event – Recording of La Grande Librairie TV show
Exceptional filming of the program La Grande Librairie, Friday January 19 from 7pm in the Mucem hall.
Augustin Trapenard will welcome Nina Bouraoui, Laurent Gaudé, Belinda Cannone, Magyd Cherfi, Laura Vazquez and Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio.
To take part, 10 tickets to be won on the Mucem’s social networks.
Saturday, January 20
3pm – Auditorium – Free admission, subject to availability
Great interview with Roberto Saviano
Hosted by Christophe Ono-dit-Biot, deputy managing editor of Le Point
A leading figure in contemporary literature, Italian writer and journalist Roberto Saviano has captivated readers the world over with his gripping works, including Gomorra, which has been translated in 42 countries, sold over four million copies and been adapted for stage, screen and TV.
Beyond his examination of Italian society, Saviano highlights the crucial issues facing the European continent. His critical look at the rise of nationalism and his plea on behalf of migrants bear witness to his radical intellectual commitment.
In this interview, hosted by writer and journalist Christophe Ono-dit-Biot, Roberto Saviano will look back at his novels and share his thoughts on the themes that are closest to his heart. The interview will be punctuated by the projection of images (film extracts, archive documents…) and by the reading of extracts from his texts by actress Estelle André Chabrolin.
The Mucem bookshop will be present at the forum to accompany the meeting.
3pm – Atelier de l’île (level -1)
Children’s workshop with Lisa Laubreaux, illustrator
When parents take part in the Grand entretien, children enjoy a workshop with author and illustrator Lisa Laubreaux to create a book-object on the theme of the body.
6pm – Forum
Reading Nights
A national event presented by the Centre nationale du livre (CNL)
Musical readings with Estelle André Chabrolin, actress and Bastien Boni, double bass player.
Afterwards, the audience is invited to a large-scale reading. This year, the theme proposed by the Centre national du livre for the Nuits de la lecture is that of the body, a way of echoing the Olympic Games taking place this summer. For the occasion, a selection of texts will be read aloud by actress Estelle André Chabrolin. Blending genres and eras, this literary corpus follows the temporality of the living body, the passing years and the events that transform it.
With texts by Pierre de Ronsard, Roland Barthes, Maylis de Kerangal, Léonor de Récondo, Claire Marin…
From 7pm – Auditorium
Spectacle Objets (Du moment qu’on y pense) – Created at Mucem
A creation by Clotilde Mollet and Hervé Pierre (resident of the Comédie française from February 1, 2007 to December 4, 2022), about objects, our intimacy and how they tell us.
“An object is etymologically that which is thrown before our eyes or, more generally, our consciousness. It is therefore anything we can perceive, think about or want. In this sense, everything that exists can be said to be an object, as long as we think about it.”
“The only thing missing is speech!” Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me! Fragile, objet d’art! Be tactful and delicate! “To me!” “To you!” “To no one!” “My precious!”…
Goods, things, products, possessions, garbage, gizmos, treasures, all these objects made with a happy hand – or not – are part of our intimacy and tell us stories. They have inspired writers, musicians, painters, sculptors, philosophers, humorists… From Philippe Katerine to Francis Ponge, from Claude François to Gaston Bachelard, from Juliette to Christophe Tarkos, Georges Perec, Jean-Christophe Bailly, Boris Vian… Everyone has their own note. We’ll share an hour together (more or less), letting the little papers speak for themselves, as Régine used to sing, and, tick-tock tick-tock, the watch will suggest we stop.
Sunday, January 21st
3pm – Auditorium – Free admission, subject to availability
Grand interview with Sorj Chalandon
Moderated by Christophe Ono-dit-Biot, deputy editor-in-chief of Le Point
The Mucem welcomes another committed figure, writer and journalist Sorj Chalandon. A former war reporter and winner of several prestigious awards (Prix Albert Londres, Prix Médicis, Goncourt des lycéens…), Sorj Chalandon embodies the rare fusion between the worlds of journalism and literary creation. His sharp eye and unwavering fight for the truth have shaped his work, and his tales of conflict such as Le Quatrième Mur and Mon traître resonate deeply with our times.
L’Enragé, his latest novel published in September, is once again an immersion in an episode in the history of the 20th century. In it, Sorj Chalandon revisits the true story of the Belle-Ile-en-Mer reformatory in the 1930s.
In this interview, Sorj Chalandon will share a behind-the-scenes look at his creative process, his rich journalistic career and his relationship with contemporary history.
The interview will be punctuated by the projection of images (film extracts, archive documents, etc.) and the reading of extracts from his texts by actress Estelle André Chabrolin.
3pm – Atelier de l’île (level -1)
Youth workshop with Lisa Laubreaux, illustrator
When parents take part in the Grand entretien, children enjoy a workshop with author and illustrator Lisa Laubreaux to create a book-object on the theme of the body.
For the opening of its permanent exhibition “Populaire?”, the Mucem commissioned four writers to write around a hundred labels to bring out the poetics of the objects on display.
To mark the “Nuits de la lecture”, the Mucem is dedicating a weekend to literature from January 19 to 21, with meetings with Roberto Saviano and Sorj Chalandon, the exceptional filming of the program La Grande Librairie presented by Augustin Trapenard, a creation by Clotilde Mollet and Hervé Pierre about objects, our intimacy and how they tell us, readings, shows and many other surprises to discover in the full program.
With the complicity of the festival Oh les beaux jours!
As part of the Nuits de la lecture (Reading Nights), a national event presented by the Centre national du livre (Cnl).

Friday, January 19
11 a.m. – Auditorium – Event reserved for invited classes
An object, a class, an author with Lucile Bordes, Arthur Dreyfus and Mucem curators
Preceded by a 1-hour visit to the “Populaire?” exhibition (between 9 and 11 a.m.)
For its new permanent exhibition “Populaire?”, the Mucem has commissioned writers to write the labels accompanying the objects on display, reflecting both their curiosity and their ability to tell stories.
Eight classes are invited to the Mucem to visit the exhibition from 9am, then at 11am the students meet in the museum auditorium to discuss some forty photographs of objects in the presence of writers Lucile Bordes and Arthur Dreyfus. A quiz will allow students to express their opinions on the objects and imagine a function for them.
A Mucem curator will compare the young public’s hypotheses with the scientific viewpoint on the objects. The two writers will then explain their writing process.
This meeting is the starting point for a writing competition, which will enable each participant to write a personal account of a chosen object, or a micro-history rooted in the collective imagination, over the following weeks.
A jury comprising Lucile Bordes, Arthur Dreyfus, members of the Mucem and the Oh les beaux jours! festival artistic team will select one winner per class. Their prizes will be awarded during the Oh les beaux jours! (May 22-26, 2024) and their contributions will be promoted on Mucem’s social networks and in the exhibition.
8pm – Invitation-only event – Recording of La Grande Librairie TV show
Exceptional filming of the program La Grande Librairie, Friday January 19 from 7pm in the Mucem hall.
Augustin Trapenard will welcome Nina Bouraoui, Laurent Gaudé, Belinda Cannone, Magyd Cherfi, Laura Vazquez and Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio.
To take part, 10 tickets to be won on the Mucem’s social networks.
Saturday, January 20
3pm – Auditorium – Free admission, subject to availability
Great interview with Roberto Saviano
Hosted by Christophe Ono-dit-Biot, deputy managing editor of Le Point
A leading figure in contemporary literature, Italian writer and journalist Roberto Saviano has captivated readers the world over with his gripping works, including Gomorra, which has been translated in 42 countries, sold over four million copies and been adapted for stage, screen and TV.
Beyond his examination of Italian society, Saviano highlights the crucial issues facing the European continent. His critical look at the rise of nationalism and his plea on behalf of migrants bear witness to his radical intellectual commitment.
In this interview, hosted by writer and journalist Christophe Ono-dit-Biot, Roberto Saviano will look back at his novels and share his thoughts on the themes that are closest to his heart. The interview will be punctuated by the projection of images (film extracts, archive documents…) and by the reading of extracts from his texts by actress Estelle André Chabrolin.
The Mucem bookshop will be present at the forum to accompany the meeting.
3pm – Atelier de l’île (level -1)
Children’s workshop with Lisa Laubreaux, illustrator
When parents take part in the Grand entretien, children enjoy a workshop with author and illustrator Lisa Laubreaux to create a book-object on the theme of the body.
6pm – Forum
Reading Nights
A national event presented by the Centre nationale du livre (CNL)
Musical readings with Estelle André Chabrolin, actress and Bastien Boni, double bass player.
Afterwards, the audience is invited to a large-scale reading. This year, the theme proposed by the Centre national du livre for the Nuits de la lecture is that of the body, a way of echoing the Olympic Games taking place this summer. For the occasion, a selection of texts will be read aloud by actress Estelle André Chabrolin. Blending genres and eras, this literary corpus follows the temporality of the living body, the passing years and the events that transform it.
With texts by Pierre de Ronsard, Roland Barthes, Maylis de Kerangal, Léonor de Récondo, Claire Marin…
From 7pm – Auditorium
Spectacle Objets (Du moment qu’on y pense) – Created at Mucem
A creation by Clotilde Mollet and Hervé Pierre (resident of the Comédie française from February 1, 2007 to December 4, 2022), about objects, our intimacy and how they tell us.
“An object is etymologically that which is thrown before our eyes or, more generally, our consciousness. It is therefore anything we can perceive, think about or want. In this sense, everything that exists can be said to be an object, as long as we think about it.”
“The only thing missing is speech!” Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me! Fragile, objet d’art! Be tactful and delicate! “To me!” “To you!” “To no one!” “My precious!”…
Goods, things, products, possessions, garbage, gizmos, treasures, all these objects made with a happy hand – or not – are part of our intimacy and tell us stories. They have inspired writers, musicians, painters, sculptors, philosophers, humorists… From Philippe Katerine to Francis Ponge, from Claude François to Gaston Bachelard, from Juliette to Christophe Tarkos, Georges Perec, Jean-Christophe Bailly, Boris Vian… Everyone has their own note. We’ll share an hour together (more or less), letting the little papers speak for themselves, as Régine used to sing, and, tick-tock tick-tock, the watch will suggest we stop.
Sunday, January 21st
3pm – Auditorium – Free admission, subject to availability
Grand interview with Sorj Chalandon
Moderated by Christophe Ono-dit-Biot, deputy editor-in-chief of Le Point
The Mucem welcomes another committed figure, writer and journalist Sorj Chalandon. A former war reporter and winner of several prestigious awards (Prix Albert Londres, Prix Médicis, Goncourt des lycéens…), Sorj Chalandon embodies the rare fusion between the worlds of journalism and literary creation. His sharp eye and unwavering fight for the truth have shaped his work, and his tales of conflict such as Le Quatrième Mur and Mon traître resonate deeply with our times.
L’Enragé, his latest novel published in September, is once again an immersion in an episode in the history of the 20th century. In it, Sorj Chalandon revisits the true story of the Belle-Ile-en-Mer reformatory in the 1930s.
In this interview, Sorj Chalandon will share a behind-the-scenes look at his creative process, his rich journalistic career and his relationship with contemporary history.
The interview will be punctuated by the projection of images (film extracts, archive documents, etc.) and the reading of extracts from his texts by actress Estelle André Chabrolin.
3pm – Atelier de l’île (level -1)
Youth workshop with Lisa Laubreaux, illustrator
When parents take part in the Grand entretien, children enjoy a workshop with author and illustrator Lisa Laubreaux to create a book-object on the theme of the body.
