Books, a vocation rooted in the territory

Welcome to the land of Jean Giono where the magic of the local area resonates around the world thanks to his works.
Land of senses, contrasts, open and luminous landscapes, the Forcalquier Region has so much to tell… And certainly today it is rich and dynamic in heritage and culture making its reputation renowned.

The former county town seems to have always attracted a crowd of artists and creative people and in the forefront we can find those passionate about books and writing: authors, editors, graphic designers, publishers, bookbinders, booksellers… and you of course, the readers.

The storytelling tradition, whose traces were lost in the debut of medieval writings, is undeniably well anchored in this territory. And indeed, its literary calling, having been soundly confirmed after the war, in the wake of Jean Giono, is still today very much alive :

• Apart from Jean Giono’s name, the Forcalquier and Lure mountain area is a territory associated with many other great writers, such as Jean Proal, Angelica Garnett, Pierre Magnan, René Fregni, Maximilien Vox, Robert Morel, Bernard Coutaz, François Richaudeau…
• A whole network of publishing houses, generalist or old bookstores, graphic designers, printers, typographers, bookbinders and calligraphers who live here all year-round and promote a wide range of literary events.
  The territory has earned the title of a “Center of Rural Excellence” (label pôle d’excellence rurale Pays du livre et de l’écriture). This literary region promotes these activities through a diversity of events related to books and writing, for professionals or the general public: seminars, professional training programmes on the “art of the book”, public readings, walking and writing, book festivals… not to forget :The Festival of Storytelling and the Arts of Speech “Les Oralies” 
  The International Meeting of Lure in Lurs (“Les Rencontres Internationales de Lure à Lurs”) speakers come to present their work and their research.
• The iconic bookshops of our territory together hold more than 100,000 works:
  Librairie La Carline – Forcalquier – 04 92 75 01 25
  Librairie Le Bleuet – Banon – 04 92 73 25 85

The Writing Path of Lurs ( Le chemin des écritures à Lurs )

A fun yet educational journey around the world to discover the origins of writing from the begining of humanity to our current way of writing.

• An initiatory journey leading to the village through the discovery of 3 installations illustrating the major trends in the history of scriptures.
• A series of playful installations scattered around the streets of the village, inviting a game of discovery, interpretation and composition.

Audio walk in Lurs village

On your Lurs adventure, try an audio walk. Put your headphones on and listen to the composition of Benjamin Dupé, in the “Promenade des Evêques”.

The house of book work in Forcalquier (La Maison des métiers du livre).

Its aim is to offer to those involved in the book professions (editors, publishers, etc.) a tool to develop and pool resources.

This 1200 m² building, the former gendarmerie houses individual commercial spaces (offices, workshops) and shared spaces (meeting room, documentation, technical platforms, inventory stock ..) entirely dedicated to the book sector.

Picazion house (La maison Picazio), writter’s residence in Ongles

Need some inspiration ? Need to isolate yourself to write ? The “writers’ residence” can welcome you for a few weeks or a few months. The tranquillity of the place, the charm of the surrounding countryside and the way of life of the locals will all take care of you throughout your stay.