« La Grande Évasion » du Collectif États Généreux

Some decisions resemble declarations of war. The dismissal in April 2026 of Olivier Nora, director of the Grasset publishing house, is one such. In the cultural battle that has already begun, writers are resisting.

Faced with authoritarianism in all its forms, they resist with their best weapon: writing. The collective asserts itself. 80 authors decide to tell, each in their own way, the story of this takeover, what this decision represents, what it implies, and the danger it announces. Forced to acknowledge the vulnerability of their status, they also commit to evolving it and rebalancing relations with publishers. From a kitchen in an apartment to the gilded halls of the Senate, from the hubbub of a café to a theatre stage, this book juggles the intimate and the plural, words and drawings, to establish a unique and vibrant literary identity that neither ideology nor vertical arbitrariness can stifle. And it reminds us that between “livre” (book) and “libre” (free), there is only one letter’s difference. Directed by Anne Berest, Virginie Despentes, Laure Limongi, Tania de Montaigne, Colombe Schneck and Vanessa Springora, this work brings together dozens of authors who unite their voices to say no to ideological control over literary creation and publishing. It is with this same desire to defend freedom of creation, debate, and the plurality of voices that La Grande Évasion will be presented at the Théâtre de la Concorde. This mobilisation fully echoes the venue's project: to make theatre a space of freedom, dialogue, and emancipation, where voices can confront each other, express themselves, and continue to build society.

With Anne Berest Roza Burzstein Sorj Chalandon Marie Darrieussecq Julien Delmaire Virginie Despentes dalie Farah Lola Lafon Viktor Lazlo Laure Limongi Jean-Yves Mollier Tania de Montaigne Anna Mouglalis Thelyson Orelien Colombe Schneck Vanessa Springora

A bookstore will be present for a book sale after the meeting.

Text: La Grande Évasion, published September 10, 2026.