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Festival du Premier Roman

A springboard for new literary talent

Enter the world of literary debut at the Festival du Premier Roman de Laval!

Every year, this event celebrates emerging authors and their first novels. Over the course of several days, some forty writers meet readers through unique events and exchanges. The festival offers readers the chance to spot and support the talents of tomorrow, creating a real space for sharing, organized by Lecture en Tête.

Heading for the 33rd edition...

This year, the festival invites you to discover a rich and varied program, with exciting encounters, original activities and some forty authors in the spotlight. In this section, you’ll find all the practical information you need to make the most of the event: locations, times and key moments not to be missed. Get ready for an unforgettable literary experience at the heart of this 33rd edition, which promises to be rich in discoveries and exchanges!

The Festival site is located Esplanade du Château-neuf, place de la Trémoille, under a 600 m² big top including :
– 3 meeting places: the footbridge, the square and the garden cottage,
– the Festival bookshop,
– the café area.

And also…

  • Albert-Legendre Library (Place de Hercé)
  • L’Avant-Scène (29 allée du Vieux Saint-Louis)
  • L’Instant coiffure (37 rue du Val de Mayenne)
  • La Nef (9 place Saint-Tugal)
  • Lecture en Tête (28 Grande Rue)
  • Salle des Pas Perdus (esplanade du Château-neuf)
  • Sylvie Pelé florist (20 rue du Val de Mayenne)

School events: Thursday, April 4 and Friday, April 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Open to the public

  • Friday, March 5: 7 pm to 9 pm (inauguration)
  • Saturday, April 6: 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Sunday, April 7: 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Free admission

The Festival site and L’Avant-Scène are accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Feeling a little thirsty?

La Nef welcomes you with hot and cold drinks.
La Nef is also a wine and cocktail bar located on Place Saint-Tugal, a stone’s throw from the Festival site, in the recently renovated nave of a 13th-century church. Opened in 2019, Mathilde Boissinot has created a warm and friendly atmosphere.

The nominees are ...

The nationally renowned Festival du Premier Roman et des Littératures Contemporaines is much more than just a literary event. It is the showcase and culmination of all the know-how and expertise of the Lecture en Tête association, which works to reveal and promote emerging authors.

Each year, the first novels selected meet demanding criteria: they must be self-published, in the fiction category, and have been published between October of the previous year and September of the current year.

In this section, we present the nominees of the year 2025, promising authors who, through their first works, open up new literary horizons. Their stories, carried by singular and daring voices, reflect the richness and diversity of contemporary literature.

The nominees for 2025 are…

Captured memories

Move, get out, vibrate!