The Lot-et-Garonne: a source of inspiration for Marguerite Duras
She was not born here, but her name as an author evokes Lot-et-Garonne and the influence of the department on the inspiration of Marguerite Duras, who chose the name of the city of dukes as a tribute to this region, the starting point of her literary genius. Her work was partly written in her father's house in Pardaillan, which made her say: "I see again. It was a deserted land, poor. People lived on a little fruit wine, prunes, tobacco, artichokes too... It was in Duras that I became something of a writer. When her first novel, Les Impudentes, came out in 1943, it was the whole countryside around Duras and the Lot-et-Garonne in general. Her father's house, of course, but also Le Dropt, which flows under the letters of Dior, for it is indeed this local river known to the people of the area that Marguerite Duras evokes, just like her father's house. The history between Marguerite Duras and the Lot-et-Garonne has been written in dotted lines, but it is still very much present today, if only in her magnificent books. In concrete terms, the only thing that remains of her stay is her father's house, which was saved from ruin at the last minute to make it a place of memory. The author of L'amant has left her mark on French literature, and the Marguerite Duras Prize, initiated by the Lot-et-Garonne Departmental Council since 2001, is a classic French literary event that marks the mutual attachment of those born here to the woman who loved living here.
Fourques, Grateloup, Couthures, renowned village festivals and fairs
Fourques-sur-Garonne, Grateloup, and Couthures, here are three communes which have the particularity to be villages, even small villages, like Couthures and its 350 inhabitants and which welcome festivals and a fair which are a reference in their field.
There is the ninth art celebrated recently in Fourques-sur-Garonne with its comic strip festival, which is meeting with growing success. In this village where the vegetation is dense and explaining the name of the festival "La bd est dans le pré", the amateurs read, speak about comics, but also mangas and comics with their authors present. The Jacarbo prize, named after this cartoonist who was the head of the "Pieds Nickelés" and who lived in Fourques-sur-Garonne, is awarded. In the animations, one can for example devote oneself to the drawing of comic strip with the assistance of an illustrator or attend exhibitions having for theme the comic strip. It is a real festival where the bucolic charm of the place is completed with the comic spirit.
The children's book festival is held in Grateloup, a small village near Tonneins, with a name worthy of a Perrault tale. A true setting for this kind of event, Grateloup is a must for children as well as adults when you really want to escape and find a beneficial imagination. Since 2002, ten authors come for a weekend to exchange with their little readers and their families around meetings, exhibitions, theaters, playful workshops or literary walks. One would almost have the impression that the village is transformed and cut off from the world during these 3 days. With this success that has lasted for almost 20 years, the organizers have known since the early 2000s to make a place for themselves in the world of children's books and its membership in the Federation of Fairs and Festivals of Children's Books as well as its longevity are the best proof.
The Couthures International Festival of Journalism is quite recent since it started in 2016, but the enthusiasm has only increased tenfold over the years. It is a kind of country Agora where the public sits on the grass or on chairs in the open air and attends the many debates between journalists and politicians, is interested in thematic workshops and is entertained with multiple festive appointments. These three days are like a cultural bubbling on the banks of the Garonne and the village becomes the point of convergence between decision makers and national observers. We saw Florence Aubenas, MC Solaar... Benoît Poelvoorde or Pierre Lescure as patrons and of course the whole sphere of women and men who make the French press. In Marmandais it is a moment at the same time strong and sympathetic to see the press and the politicians having the duty and the right to quote otherwise. It is to note the quality of the topics which refer to the current events and the way of treating them.
The optimistic philosophy of Michel Serres
The Gascon figure of local literature is without a doubt Michel Serres. This native of Agen was a man of his time who allows the territory to claim a well-deserved intellectual pride. When one reads what Georges Canghilhem said to Michel Serres when the latter came second in the agrégation, one can appreciate the destiny of this man who was not always recognized for his genius by his peers, never being co-opted for the Collège de France, for example: "In this competition, the best is always second. This was once my case. Today it is yours
Author of about sixty books, he published the best-sellers "the five senses" making these senses a delight and the path of all possibilities. He was also the author of "Little Thumb" whose success was immense and where the writer, aged 82, when published in 2012, projected the future world and its changes through the prism of digital youth who write messages with their thumb. Michel Serres' optimism is particularly evident in this widely successful book.
Because of his visceral attachment to his city of Agen and his aura in the philosophical world, Michel Serres was a magnificent representative of this Gascon country that he loved so much and that he brought to life just by his voice. A man of science and gaiety, this man of influential optimism has left his mark on recent history and his imprint on thought is certain. Campuses and avenues bear his name in the prefecture of Agen and today he is like a tutelary figure for the city.
