Under Chateaubriand's shadow: a literary and bucolic festival at the Domaine de la Vallée-aux-Loups

Attention to lovers of fine literature and bucolic strolls. The 6 and 7 June 2026, the Department of the Hauts-de-Seine launches its very first edition of the literary festival "In the Shadow of Chateaubriand." It takes place at the magnificent and historic Maison de Chateaubriand, tucked into the green setting of the Valley of the Wolves Arboretum in Châtenay-Malabry, where around fifteen renowned authors will gather for two days of encounters, workshops and open-air concerts.

This first edition has tapped a distinguished patroness: Adélaïde de Clermont-Tonnerre (Renaudot Prize 2025). On Saturday, June 6, the event opens to the public with a lineup of the era’s foremost literary voices — including Franz-Olivier Giesbert, Didier Decoin, Alice Ferney, and Alfred de Montesquiou — who will take turns for major thematic interviews examining fiction, history, and the intimate, at a price of 5 euros for a half-day.

Finally, the Sunday, June 7 afternoon will spotlight families with drawing sessions alongside Charles Berberian and Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat, as well as illustration workshops for little ones aged 4 to 7 led by Marianne Barcilon at a rate of 4 euros per child.

Beyond the usual book-signing sessions, the festival invites visitors to keep wandering. An outdoor reading lounge will be set up in the park around the clock, complemented on Saturday by a free calligraphy workshop inside the historic library of the famed Romantic-era writer.

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To complete this al fresco lunch mood, a food truck will be set up on site, even as festivalgoers are strongly encouraged to bring their own picnic to dine in the shade of the ancient trees.

Evenings will extend into music around the Arboretum de la Vallée-aux-Loups: Saturday night will pulse to traditional Celtic and Gaelic tunes from the group The Curious Bards, while Sunday will close with a poetic family concert blending family concert vibes with the Quatuor Zahir and the famed Chanteurs d’oiseaux.