Among younger generations, the appreciation of reading appears to be fading. A new challenge for an ancient art: preserving its timeless relevance while adapting to the contemporary world.
Since 1981, the Paris Book Festival has been held every year. Formerly known as the Paris Book Fair, the event celebrates literature, the art of writing, and the pleasure of reading. This year, at the Grand Palais—as at its inaugural edition—it brings together three consecutive days of meetings with writers, publishers, and thinkers to discuss a wide range of issues. With no fewer than fifty conferences dedicated to the theme of the humanities, the festival places particular emphasis on understanding human beings—the very same human beings responsible for the countless crises of our time.
Questioning Timelessness
All these discussions surrounding today's controversies could capture the attention of younger generations. Yet these are the very generations drifting away from the inexhaustible source of knowledge that reading represents. According to the press release published by the French National Book Centre (Centre national du livre, CNL) on 14 April 2026, which presents a study on the reading habits of young people aged 7 to 19, the number of young readers has remained stable since 2024, although “the decline during adolescence remains significant, and reading quality has weakened.” Another statistic from the same report attributes this loss of interest to an issue of transmission: 18% of young people say that their parents themselves do not read books, compared with just 7% in 2016.
The new generation of adults—including writers and intellectuals—has not turned away from activism. The fight for justice remains at the forefront of public debate. Over the years, the Book Festival has faced boycotts from parts of its audience for political or economic reasons. In the 2026 edition, the event was shaken by the dismissal of Olivier Nora, now former CEO of Éditions Grasset, on 14 April by Vincent Bolloré, chairman of Hachette. The sudden firing sent shockwaves through the publishing world. Around one hundred authors immediately came together to organize a large-scale withdrawal from Hachette's participation in the festival.
The Cathartic Power of Art
A wide range of current issues were explored throughout the three-day celebration of books. The titles of the discussions themselves reflected a shared need to learn how to build peace. One of the highlights of that April weekend was Mental Health: Understanding and Providing Better Care, featuring writer and psychiatrist Emmanuel Venet, discussing his book Retour chez les fous, published by Éditions Verdier in September 2025, alongside author and illustrator Quentin Zuttion, whose graphic novel Sage was published by Le Lombard in September of the same year. This thoughtful and compassionate conversation about the cathartic power of art was warmly received by an attentive, engaged, and above all personally invested audience. The wide range of ages represented among attendees underscored the commitment of Paris Livres Événements to addressing these subjects without taboo.
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