Salon Littéraire: “Do You Speak Literature?”

Each session opens with an introductory moment — a reading, excerpt, or conceptual perspective — setting the tone for the discussion to follow in a relaxed atmosphere of collective reflection and exchange.

For this upcoming session, we will explore the theme of anger — not as a destructive or negative force, but as a powerful engine for literary and artistic creation. Together, we will reflect on how anger can become a fertile ground for expression, transformation, and the desire to reshape the world around us.

Far from being a “sad passion,” anger will be approached here as the cornerstone of many creative impulses: born from dissatisfaction, the need for expression, and the desire for correction in the face of injustice. The discussion will examine how this deeply political emotion has fueled writers, thinkers, and artists across generations, becoming both a force of resistance and a catalyst for creation.

The session will draw from a selection of contemporary literary essays and engaged texts, including King Kong Théorie by Virginie Despentes, Que le diable m'emporte by Mary MacLane, Je suis un monstre qui vous parle by Paul B. Preciado, as well as the contemporary novel L’Arbre de colère by Guillaume Aubin.

Through these texts, participants will explore how anger responds to a fundamental feeling — injustice — and how it can evolve beyond reaction into a genuine creative force. The conversation will also address the ways anger is instrumentalized within public debate, while remaining an immeasurable source of artistic, literary, and intellectual production.

Participants are invited to bring one to three books connected to the theme, whether novels, essays, philosophical works, or texts of engagement, in order to nourish the collective discussion. Spontaneity and improvisation will remain central to the format, allowing ideas and exchanges to unfold organically throughout the evening.

The Literary Salon takes place at TheMerode (TheOtium), in an intimate and welcoming setting. Held once a month, always on Fridays.