For the first time, the Observatoire de Paris and the Société des Gens de Lettres - two nearby institutions located south of the capital - are joining forces around a joint program on the themes of Night and Reading, free and without registration.
Various events will be organized throughout the evening at the Hôtel de Massa, headquarters of the Société des Gens de Lettres in the presence of Zabou Breitman, sponsor of the 4th edition of the “Nuit de la Lecture”, and many other authors : exhibition, theatrical performance and readings will delight lovers of nocturnal literature, mixed with astronomy.
Evening program
• 7 p.m. : The opening of Lune(s) exhibition, produced and loaned by the Observatoire de Paris, will kick off the evening. Hanging until mid-March at the Hotel de Massa, this exhibition bears witness to the history and contemporary research of astronomers on this companion of the Earth, as well as on the other moons within the Solar System.
• 8 p.m. : A theatrical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s text, Le Promontoire du songe, staged by Philippe Berling and Ivan Dmitrieff, will be offered in the Hôtel de Massa. It will highlight the unique link between the Observatoire de Paris and the Hôtel de Massa, woven through the friendship of two outstanding figures of the 19th century : François Arago, former director of the Observatoire de Paris and President of the Société des Gens de Lettres, and Victor Hugo, also President of the authors’ society ;
• At the same time, a writing marathon not accessible to the public will take place under the dome of the Observatoire de Paris, where five writers engage in an unprecedented written production for almost 3 hours (cancellation in case of bad weather) ;
• 9h30 p.m. - Midnight : Readings - staging of literary texts related to the night - will be offered by the actors of the "Compagnie de la Structure" in the Hôtel de Massa ;
• Midnight : A restitution of the texts created by the five authors, inspired by the magic of the walls of the Observatoire de Paris, will close the event. These unpublished works will be read publicly aloud.
Practical Informations
Date : Saturday January 18, 2020
Hours : from 7 p.m. to Midnight
Rendezvous : at the Hôtel de Massa, from 7 p.m.
Address : 38 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014 Paris
Free, without registration, open to all audiences