Salon des Littératures Maudites

A unique literary festival dedicated to the strange

The Salon des Littératures Maudites was born in 2016 under the patronage of Ardennes publisher Philippe Marlin, director of L'Oeil du Sphinx editions. Conceived by the network of community media libraries of Ardenne Métropole and the Société des Écrivains Ardennais, this festival highlights themes and texts that do not necessarily find their place in traditional literary events: scientific parapsychology, forteanism, mysterious phenomena, historical folklore, tales and legends, urban rumors, UFOs, esotericism, occultism, and fantasy literature.

Thematic editions around great cursed authors

Each edition of the festival is dedicated to an emblematic theme or author of cursed literature. The first edition in 2016 paid tribute to H.P. Lovecraft, followed by Jacques Bergier in 2017, Arthur Conan Doyle in 2018, and Edgar Allan Poe in 2019. The 5th edition focused on vampirism, the 6th edition in 2022 had Belgium as its theme, and the 7th edition in 2023, renamed Symposium des Maudits, explored the theme of Death. This thematic thread allows for an annual in-depth exploration of a little-known aspect of literature and the imaginary.

A rich and varied program

The Salon des Littératures Maudites offers a dense program over three days: conferences led by specialists, meetings and book signings with authors, film screenings, live-action role-playing games, themed exhibitions, concerts, and readings. The Médiathèque Voyelles also hosts specialty bookstores and independent publishers in a book market dedicated to the imaginary, fantasy, and esotericism. Admission is free, allowing all curious individuals to discover these fascinating worlds.

The Médiathèque Voyelles, a haven for cursed literature

The festival takes place in the exceptional setting of the Médiathèque Voyelles, inaugurated in 2008 on Place Jacques Félix in Charleville-Mézières. This modern and welcoming cultural venue offers an ideal setting for this atypical event, in a city already marked by the figure of Arthur Rimbaud, the quintessential cursed poet. The festival thus fits perfectly into the literary and poetic identity of Charleville-Mézières, labeled Ville en Poésie since 2012.