Société de lecture

Founded in 1818, the Société de Lecture (SDL) is a cultural institution nestled in Geneva’s Old Town. Housed in an 18th-century building, the SDL serves as a hub for relaxed intellectual exchange. Functioning as a library with an extensive book collection, the Société de Lecture also hosts diverse cultural events, including a full rich program of literary conferences, debates, workshops, and even yoga classes. Notably, it offers a diverse program for children.

Grand-Rue 11,
1204 Genève

phone: +41 22 311 45 90

All Events at this Venue

Friday 17 October, 12:00

Anne Berest – Finistère

Lectures & Workshops

Société de lecture

Anne Berest is the author of several novels, including Sagan 1954 (Stock, 2014), Gabriële, co-written with her sister Claire (Stock, 2017), and the powerful The Postcard (La carte postale, Grasset, 2022), which won the Prix Renaudot des lycéens, the American Goncourt Choice Prize, and earned her the Dayton Literary Peace Prize (Fiction Runner-up) in 2024. She is also a playwright and screenwriter.

With Finistère (Albin Michel, 2025), she continues her exploration of “invisible transmissions” across generations. This new journey through family constellations unfolds in Brittany, her paternal family’s homeland, over the course of a century. What do we inherit? And what can we free ourselves from?

In French.

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Thursday 30 October, 18:30

Jim Fergus – The Strength of Native American Women

Lectures & Workshops

Société de lecture

Born in Chicago in 1950 to a French mother and an American father, Jim Fergus lives between Arizona, Colorado and France. Passionate about Native American cultures, particularly the Cheyenne, he writes sweeping epics that combine portraits of strong women with historical plots.

He has achieved great success with One Thousand White Women (Le Cherche Midi, 2000): his trilogy takes place in 1874, when a convoy of a thousand white women is exchanged, willingly or by force, for a thousand horses to ensure peace between peoples by mixing blood.

We are welcoming Jim Fergus for the French release of the second edition of The Wild Girl (Le Cherche Midi, 2025). Interview conducted by Kasmira Jefford, editor-in-chief of Geneva Solutions.

In English.

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Tuesday 4 November, 12:00

Amélie de Bourbon Parme – L’ascension

Lectures & Workshops

Société de lecture

Novelist Amélie de Bourbon Parme published Ambition (L’ambition, Gallimard, 2023), the first volume of her trilogy The Eternity Traffickers (Les trafiquants d’éternité), set in Renaissance Rome. It is a fictionalized biography of Alessandro Farnese (1468–1549), who became Pope Paul III in 1534—a figure of major importance to both Christianity and the author’s own family history. Ambition ends in 1503, at the close of the papacy of Alexander VI, who had named Farnese a cardinal.

Ascension (L’ascension, Gallimard, 2024), the second volume, follows Farnese’s brilliant rise: as advisor to Julius II—an opponent of the Borgia clan—and close friend of Leo X, he fails to influence Clement VII, whose missteps lead to the Sack of Rome. At the time, the capital of Christendom is above all a seat of power, where the clergy is more concerned with its own ambitions and desires than with the salvation of the faithful—a corruption that Martin Luther would famously condemn.

In French.

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Thursday 6 November, 12:00

Samuel Labarthe

Lectures & Workshops

Société de lecture

In collaboration with the Théâtre de Carouge

After seventy sold-out performances of L’Usage du monde, SAMUEL LABARTHE returns to the Théâtre de Carouge to bring the words of Nicolas Bouvier to life once again, under the direction of Catherine Schaub. The writer’s journey continues: paralyzed on the island of Ceylon—modern-day Sri Lanka—Bouvier pens the story of a poetic descent into madness, driven by fever, heat, and solitude.

For sixty performances, the mysterious Scorpion-Fish (Poisson-scorpion) takes the stage, carried by the captivating voice and remarkable talent of Samuel Labarthe.

Poisson-scorpion, from November 4, 2025 to February 1, 2026 (no performances from December 22, 2025 to January 12, 2026) at the Théâtre de Carouge.

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Tuesday 11 November, 18:30

Leïla Slimani – J’emporterai le feu

Lectures & Workshops

Société de lecture

Born in Morocco, Leïla Slimani is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris. A novelist and columnist featured in various weekly publications, her work has been translated into numerous languages. She chaired the jury of the prestigious International Booker Prize in 2023 and served as a member of the Cannes Film Festival jury in 2025.

A committed voice, Slimani tackles difficult—and often taboo—subjects with nuance and remarkable intelligence: nymphomania in Adèle (Dans le jardin de l’ogre, Gallimard, 2014), the murder of children and social despair in Lullaby (Chanson douce, Gallimard, Prix Goncourt 2016), and patriarchal violence and hypocrisy in Sex and Lies: True Stories of Women’s Intimate Lives in the Arab World (Sexe et mensonges, Les Arènes, 2021).

Her new book, J’emporterai le feu, is the stunning final volume of her trilogy The Country of Others (Le pays des autres, Gallimard)—a powerful, poetic, and deeply moving family saga brought to a magnificent close.

In French.

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Wednesday 12 November, 12:00

François Heisbourg – Le suicide de l’Amérique

Lectures & Workshops

Société de lecture

Special advisor at the Foundation for Strategic Research, François Heisbourg – has served as chairman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. He is the author of numerous works published by Odile Jacob, including The Age of Predators: China, the United States, Russia and Us (2020), A World Without America (2024), and America’s Suicide (Le suicide de l’Amérique, 2025).

What is happening to America, our long-standing ally? For François Heisbourg, the Trumpian storm is not just a rough patch—it represents a form of national suicide, albeit one assisted by China and Russia. And the main victim of this rapid unraveling will be America itself. It is now up to Europe to act—to avoid becoming collateral damage.

In French.

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Société de lecture

Société de lecture

phone: +41 22 311 45 90

All Events at this Venue

Anne Berest – Finistère

Jim Fergus – The Strength of Native American Women

Amélie de Bourbon Parme – L’ascension

Samuel Labarthe

Leïla Slimani – J’emporterai le feu

François Heisbourg – Le suicide de l’Amérique

Nothing happening at the moment...

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Société de lecture

Société de lecture

phone: +41 22 311 45 90

All Events at this Venue

Anne Berest – Finistère

Jim Fergus – The Strength of Native American Women

Amélie de Bourbon Parme – L’ascension

Samuel Labarthe

Leïla Slimani – J’emporterai le feu

François Heisbourg – Le suicide de l’Amérique

Nothing happening at the moment...

Info

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