In the shadow of Michel de Montaigne
Born on February 28, 1533 at the Château de Montaigne in Périgord, Michel Eyquem de Montaigne came from a family of Bordeaux merchants. Renowned for his Essais and his role as a magistrate at the Bordeaux Parliament, where he sat for fifteen years, Michel de Montaigne is one of the leading figures of Humanism in France. Constantly quoted and questioned, his thoughts, reflections and writings have a universal appeal, defending the humanist ideal of the Renaissance. "He who knows himself also knows others, for each man bears the whole shape of the human condition". Montaigne always advocated dialogue as an antidote to violence, and reflection as a prerequisite for action. From 1558 onwards, he became close friends with the humanist and poet Étienne de La Boétie, author of Discours de la servitude volontaire. Deeply affected by his death at the age of 32, Montaigne paid him a posthumous tribute in his Essais, summing up their friendship in the following sentence: "Because it was him, because it was me". In Bordeaux, at numbers 23 and 25 rue de la Rousselle and number 20 rue des Ayres, you can see his parents' family home and his official lodgings during his terms as mayor in the late 16th century. Attributed to Bordeaux sculptors Prieur and Guillermain, circa 1593, the Musée d'Aquitaine houses Michel de Montaigne's cenotaph. He is shown recumbent, dressed in medieval-style armor. At the Bibliothèque Mériadeck, you will have the invaluable opportunity to consult the complete digital edition of the "Bordeaux" copy of the Essais (1588), annotated in the author's own hand.
On the land of Montesquieu
Author of the Lettres persanes and L'esprit des lois, a work that ensured his worldwide renown, Charles Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède and de Montesquieu, is a key figure of the Age of Enlightenment and a precursor of modern political science. A member of the Bordeaux Parliament, he quickly established himself as a highly influential member. This philosopher of the Enlightenment was born at the Château de La Brède in southern Gironde. Designated a "Maison des Illustres" by the French Ministry of Culture, Château de La Brède was built in the 13th century on the ruins of an earlier structure. Altered during the Renaissance but retaining its fortress character, the château is recognizable by its polygonal shape, reflected in the water of the wide moat that surrounds it. True to his roots, Montesquieu stayed here regularly. On July 3, 1744, he wrote to Abbé Guasco: "It will be a pleasure for me to take you to my campaign in La Brède". Passed on to his descendants, the château and its estate, listed as a Monument Historique, have retained the spirit of Montesquieu and the memory of an eight-century-long history. "The Château de La Brède, which I have embellished so much since you last saw it? It's the most beautiful country place I know," he wrote to Abbé Guasco on March 16, 1752. A must for all lovers of history and literature. In Bordeaux, four sculptures and several plaques also mark some of his places of residence, including the site of the famous Mollat bookshop.
In the footsteps of François Mauriac
The southern Gironde region was home to novelist, poet, playwright, essayist and journalist François Mauriac. This son of Bordeaux, born at 86, rue du Pas-Saint-Georges, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1952 and member of the Académie française for almost forty years, is perhaps one of the greatest French novelists of the 20th century. A master in the art of describing the passions that torment men, the author of Thérèse Desqueyroux, his greatest heroine, found inspiration in Saint-Maixant at the Domaine de Malagar, one of his family homes. Transformed twenty years ago into the Centre François-Mauriac, the estate perpetuates the memory of this great writer. A guided tour of the first floor of the Gironde residence as he knew it reveals the author's world. Awarded the "Maison des Illustres" label, Malagar offers cultural programming for all publics, as well as literary walks and the discovery of its listed park surrounded by vineyards. Like Toulouse-Lautrec, François Mauriac appreciated the delicate cuisine of Chapon Fin. Located in Bordeaux at 5, rue Montesquieu, this grand table is one of the first three-starred gastronomic restaurants in history.
Reading and literary life
The Gironde region is rich in creative and promotional publishing talent: authors of fiction, documentaries, comics and reflective works for both young people and adults, as well as publishers in a wide range of fields and bookshops. Not to mention themed book events such as L'Escale du livre (Bordeaux), Lire en poche (Gradignan), the Gujan Thrillers Festival (Gujan-Mestras) and many others. Marked by its rich literary past, the Gironde region has always written and told its stories in words and images. The Gironde Estuary, in particular, has been the subject of numerous texts and books. "Suddenly, on the left of the river, we see eight or ten beautiful three-storey houses that look like opulent country homes: this is Pauillac. [...] Is Pauillac completely new? Three-quarters of the town doesn't look a day over thirty," writes Stendhal. So, literature is also a wonderful way to travel...
Read the Gironde
In order to explore the different aspects of the department, we invite you to discover a selection of books.
Les petites comédies de l'eau, Gironde , by Dominique Paquet, Arnaud Poujol and Philippe Touzet, published by Script, takes you through six short plays about the estuary.
On the humorous side, Jean-Pierre Gauffre's Petit dictionnaire absurde et impertinent de Bordeaux et de la Gironde is published by Féret.
More unusual is Les historiettes, by Bast and Matyo, published by Sangam, in which the authors invite you to visit the Sleeping Beauty in their own way.
