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Pourquoi lire de la science-fiction et de la fantasy ?
Littératures d'évasion, de réflexion, de recherche, de critique sociétale...
Les littératures de l'imaginaire nous sont précieuses, pour le plaisir bien sûr, mais aussi pour penser le monde, voyager dans d’autres sociétés, nous confronter à des enjeux comme le réchauffement climatique... et pour éclairer notre propre humanité.
En 27 points, nous explorons les raisons de lire de la science-fiction et de la fantasy. Nous conseillons des centaines de livres, proposés notamment par des libraires, pour que lecteurs et lectrices se construisent leur propre chemin. Nous nous appuyons également sur les visions d’invités qui nous ont accordé 19 interviews : Alain Damasio, Jeanne-A Debats, Etienne Klein, Natacha Vas-Deyres, Roland Lechoucq, Serge Lehman, Nicolas Stenenfled, Clémentine Hougue, Christophe Becker, Fleur Hopkins-Loféron, Vincent Ferré, Saul Pandélakis, Anne Besson, Catherine Dufour, Jean-Marc Ligny, Étienne Bariller, Laurent Queyssi, Karine Gobled, Bertrand Campeis, Yannick Rumpala, Stéphanie Nicot et Alice Carabédian.
Nous aimons l'imaginaire.
Et nous allons vous dire pourquoi.
Les littératures de l'imaginaire nous sont précieuses, pour le plaisir bien sûr, mais aussi pour penser le monde, voyager dans d’autres sociétés, nous confronter à des enjeux comme le réchauffement climatique... et pour éclairer notre propre humanité.
En 27 points, nous explorons les raisons de lire de la science-fiction et de la fantasy. Nous conseillons des centaines de livres, proposés notamment par des libraires, pour que lecteurs et lectrices se construisent leur propre chemin. Nous nous appuyons également sur les visions d’invités qui nous ont accordé 19 interviews : Alain Damasio, Jeanne-A Debats, Etienne Klein, Natacha Vas-Deyres, Roland Lechoucq, Serge Lehman, Nicolas Stenenfled, Clémentine Hougue, Christophe Becker, Fleur Hopkins-Loféron, Vincent Ferré, Saul Pandélakis, Anne Besson, Catherine Dufour, Jean-Marc Ligny, Étienne Bariller, Laurent Queyssi, Karine Gobled, Bertrand Campeis, Yannick Rumpala, Stéphanie Nicot et Alice Carabédian.
Nous aimons l'imaginaire.
Et nous allons vous dire pourquoi.
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
578 pages, Paperback
Published June 6, 2024
2 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 5, 2024
Ariel Kyrou et Jérome Vincent signent un gros pavé mais surtout un très bon livre qui explique pourquoi les littératures de l'imaginaire sont précieuses et pourquoi en lire est une excellente idée.
Pour cela, ils proposent 27 raisons de lire de la science-fiction et de la fantasy, regroupées en cinq grandes thématiques : le plaisir, l'exploration, la connaissance, le sens, et la transformation.
Ces chapitres sont entrecoupés de 19 entretiens avec des acteurs de l'imaginaire, que ce soit des auteurs et autrices ou universitaires.
Evidemment, les deux auteurs parcourent des centaines de références, et j'ai du me retenir fortement pour ne pas faire explorer ma pile à lire en notant tous les livres que j'ai découvert ou redécouvert grâce à eux.
Cet ouvrage pourrait bien devenir un classique et la nouvelle bible des littératures de l'imaginaire. Je suis ravi de l'avoir lu, ce fut un réel plaisir !
Pour cela, ils proposent 27 raisons de lire de la science-fiction et de la fantasy, regroupées en cinq grandes thématiques : le plaisir, l'exploration, la connaissance, le sens, et la transformation.
Ces chapitres sont entrecoupés de 19 entretiens avec des acteurs de l'imaginaire, que ce soit des auteurs et autrices ou universitaires.
Evidemment, les deux auteurs parcourent des centaines de références, et j'ai du me retenir fortement pour ne pas faire explorer ma pile à lire en notant tous les livres que j'ai découvert ou redécouvert grâce à eux.
Cet ouvrage pourrait bien devenir un classique et la nouvelle bible des littératures de l'imaginaire. Je suis ravi de l'avoir lu, ce fut un réel plaisir !
November 2, 2025
This has got to be one of the longest titles in my collection: "Pourquoi lire de la science-fiction et de la fantasy ? (et aller chez son libraire) - Manifeste pour les littératures de l'imaginaire". This new (from 2024, but still...) essay by Ariel Kyrou and Jérôme Vincent is a thick brick putting (mainly) science fiction and fantasy - again, with a higher focus on science fiction, for one reason or another - in the spotlight by presenting 27 reasons, divided over five themed chapters, for why one reads such stories or should read them, while doing away with the all too common clichés and false impressions.
Chapter 1: Le plaisir (the pleasure)
Chapter 2: L'exploration (the exploring)
Chapter 3: La connaissance (the knowledge)
Chapter 4: Le sens (the sense)
Chapter 5: La transformation (the transformation)
Ariel Kyrou and Jérôme Vincent are both highly specialised and qualified when it comes to talking about genre fiction, and in particular science fiction and fantasy. The former is an essayist, journalist (for a.o. Multitudes), ... who has put out and been part of quite a few SF-related works over the last few years (see at the bottom), while the latter is best known as director of Éditions ActuSF (and the website actusf.com). On a side note, here's a recent little interview with Mr Kyrou around the question: Why is SF important to foresight, to predict what could happen in the future, to create the future, ...?
While the little subtitle refers to the entire spectrum of "imaginative literature", the focus does lie on science fiction and fantasy, with the former being given a bit more attention overall. In other words - and choices probably had to be made, otherwise the book would have had to be split into two volumes, at least -, genres like magical realism, horror, ... were not treated as much as the first two, if at all. That doesn't mean that the plethora of reasons presented don't apply to these genres, on the contrary, even.
This thick, yet accessible guide focuses thus on books, on literature. And we all know the world of science fiction and fantasy is massive. The various guides (some of which I've read or still have to read) published by Éditions ActuSF usually focus on a wide spectrum of media: books, video games, films, board games, musical genres, LARP (Live Action Role-Playing Game), theatre, ... But maybe here as well, various of the developed reasons can be applied, if one has a preference for a different medium or gateway.
Each chapter is closed off with interviews with authors, academic experts or editors: Alain Damasio, Jeanne-A Debats, Etienne Klein, Natacha Vas-Deyres, Roland Lehoucq, Serge Lehman, Nicolas Stetenfeld, Clémentine Hougue, Christophe Becker, Fleur Hopkins-Loféron, Vincent Ferré, Saul Pandelakis, Anne Besson, Catherine Dufour, Jean-Marc Ligny, Étienne Barillier, Laurent Queyssi, Karine Gobled, Bertrand Campeis, Yannick Rumpala, Stéphanie Nicot et Alice Carabédian. The treated themes range from Tolkien over technology to mythology and everything in between.
Next to the core of the book, the authors also took some time to explore the situation in France: where it all started, which publishers were (and still are) involved, and not in the least, how popular these genres are today. These data were researched a few years ago (2022) via NooSFere, L'Observatoire de l'imaginaire, ...
* Are SF and fantasy reviewed in the (mainstream) press? How frequently?
* Are certain genres treated better than others?
* How do books compare to video games, films, ...?
* How do translated books compare to original, French works?
* How about male authors vs female authors?
* Etc.
And if the various cited books weren't enough, a selection of librarians from all over France and Belgium were asked to provide their favourite books, whether science fiction or fantasy. For even more TBR-pile madness, our two authors added - in categoric blocks - a few hundred titles in addition.
Long story short: "Pourquoi lire de la science-fiction et de la fantasy ? (et aller chez son libraire) - Manifeste pour les littératures de l'imaginaire" is a crucial document that explores, in a different fashion (and to answer the ever returning question: Why do you read SF/fantasy/...?) that, while films and video games are very popular and have been the last few years, there is also the world of the written word through which you can travel to distant lands, meet "other" people and creatures, use an alternative approach to (try to) understand the present world or even your own world, to imagine what the future might look like, reminisce of times past, and so on and so forth. The possibilities are endless. Obviously, there are many older works cited and referenced, but the 21st century also has its generation(s) of authors imagining the future or exploring the world of today.
A little note: While this book is aimed at a general public, most readers of science fiction and fantasy already know why they read such stories and books, yet can still expand their TBR-piles and knowledge very much. That should also (albeit partly) settle the question: "I've got nothing to read." ;-)
I hope, though, that this tome will find a way to an audience that is not or less acquainted with the written versions of these genres and provide them with understanding or at least a more open mind. (It will save us SFFF-readers from having to explain time and again our reading preferences.)
Never mind, or perhaps do mind, what the late Terry Pratchett had to say about that: "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it." (taken from "Diggers", the 2nd volume in his highly recommend "The Bromeliad Trilogy", which I read six years ago). Not to mention the legions of readers out there (on social media or in the real world, such as in bookshops and libraries) helping people daily with recommendations at any level.
So yes, do go to your local bookseller or librarian and start your journey into, or further explore, the world of SFFF.
----------
Other works by Ariel Kyrou or to which he contributed:
* Dans les imaginaires du futur (2020): review (2023 edition)
* Utopiales 2020: review
* ABCDick (2021): not read
* Par-delà l'horizon (2021): review
* Nos Futurs Solidaires (2022): review
* L'Humain augmenté (2022): review
* Travailler encore ? (2023): review
* Pourquoi lire de la science-fiction et de la fantasy (et aller chez son libraire) (2024): review on this page
* Philofictions - Des imaginaires alternatifs pour la planète (2024): a sequel of sorts to his magnum opus "Dans les imaginaires du futur". While I have read and very much liked it, I'll have to re-read it to write a few words about it. It's on my list.
Chapter 1: Le plaisir (the pleasure)
Chapter 2: L'exploration (the exploring)
Chapter 3: La connaissance (the knowledge)
Chapter 4: Le sens (the sense)
Chapter 5: La transformation (the transformation)
Ariel Kyrou and Jérôme Vincent are both highly specialised and qualified when it comes to talking about genre fiction, and in particular science fiction and fantasy. The former is an essayist, journalist (for a.o. Multitudes), ... who has put out and been part of quite a few SF-related works over the last few years (see at the bottom), while the latter is best known as director of Éditions ActuSF (and the website actusf.com). On a side note, here's a recent little interview with Mr Kyrou around the question: Why is SF important to foresight, to predict what could happen in the future, to create the future, ...?
While the little subtitle refers to the entire spectrum of "imaginative literature", the focus does lie on science fiction and fantasy, with the former being given a bit more attention overall. In other words - and choices probably had to be made, otherwise the book would have had to be split into two volumes, at least -, genres like magical realism, horror, ... were not treated as much as the first two, if at all. That doesn't mean that the plethora of reasons presented don't apply to these genres, on the contrary, even.
This thick, yet accessible guide focuses thus on books, on literature. And we all know the world of science fiction and fantasy is massive. The various guides (some of which I've read or still have to read) published by Éditions ActuSF usually focus on a wide spectrum of media: books, video games, films, board games, musical genres, LARP (Live Action Role-Playing Game), theatre, ... But maybe here as well, various of the developed reasons can be applied, if one has a preference for a different medium or gateway.
Each chapter is closed off with interviews with authors, academic experts or editors: Alain Damasio, Jeanne-A Debats, Etienne Klein, Natacha Vas-Deyres, Roland Lehoucq, Serge Lehman, Nicolas Stetenfeld, Clémentine Hougue, Christophe Becker, Fleur Hopkins-Loféron, Vincent Ferré, Saul Pandelakis, Anne Besson, Catherine Dufour, Jean-Marc Ligny, Étienne Barillier, Laurent Queyssi, Karine Gobled, Bertrand Campeis, Yannick Rumpala, Stéphanie Nicot et Alice Carabédian. The treated themes range from Tolkien over technology to mythology and everything in between.
Next to the core of the book, the authors also took some time to explore the situation in France: where it all started, which publishers were (and still are) involved, and not in the least, how popular these genres are today. These data were researched a few years ago (2022) via NooSFere, L'Observatoire de l'imaginaire, ...
* Are SF and fantasy reviewed in the (mainstream) press? How frequently?
* Are certain genres treated better than others?
* How do books compare to video games, films, ...?
* How do translated books compare to original, French works?
* How about male authors vs female authors?
* Etc.
And if the various cited books weren't enough, a selection of librarians from all over France and Belgium were asked to provide their favourite books, whether science fiction or fantasy. For even more TBR-pile madness, our two authors added - in categoric blocks - a few hundred titles in addition.
Long story short: "Pourquoi lire de la science-fiction et de la fantasy ? (et aller chez son libraire) - Manifeste pour les littératures de l'imaginaire" is a crucial document that explores, in a different fashion (and to answer the ever returning question: Why do you read SF/fantasy/...?) that, while films and video games are very popular and have been the last few years, there is also the world of the written word through which you can travel to distant lands, meet "other" people and creatures, use an alternative approach to (try to) understand the present world or even your own world, to imagine what the future might look like, reminisce of times past, and so on and so forth. The possibilities are endless. Obviously, there are many older works cited and referenced, but the 21st century also has its generation(s) of authors imagining the future or exploring the world of today.
A little note: While this book is aimed at a general public, most readers of science fiction and fantasy already know why they read such stories and books, yet can still expand their TBR-piles and knowledge very much. That should also (albeit partly) settle the question: "I've got nothing to read." ;-)
I hope, though, that this tome will find a way to an audience that is not or less acquainted with the written versions of these genres and provide them with understanding or at least a more open mind. (It will save us SFFF-readers from having to explain time and again our reading preferences.)
Never mind, or perhaps do mind, what the late Terry Pratchett had to say about that: "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it." (taken from "Diggers", the 2nd volume in his highly recommend "The Bromeliad Trilogy", which I read six years ago). Not to mention the legions of readers out there (on social media or in the real world, such as in bookshops and libraries) helping people daily with recommendations at any level.
So yes, do go to your local bookseller or librarian and start your journey into, or further explore, the world of SFFF.
----------
Other works by Ariel Kyrou or to which he contributed:
* Dans les imaginaires du futur (2020): review (2023 edition)
* Utopiales 2020: review
* ABCDick (2021): not read
* Par-delà l'horizon (2021): review
* Nos Futurs Solidaires (2022): review
* L'Humain augmenté (2022): review
* Travailler encore ? (2023): review
* Pourquoi lire de la science-fiction et de la fantasy (et aller chez son libraire) (2024): review on this page
* Philofictions - Des imaginaires alternatifs pour la planète (2024): a sequel of sorts to his magnum opus "Dans les imaginaires du futur". While I have read and very much liked it, I'll have to re-read it to write a few words about it. It's on my list.
waiting
July 16, 2024commencé le 13 juin 2024
July 12, 2025
Un livre très dense (plus de 500 pages) qui brosse un excellent portait de tout ce qui fait la beauté de la science fiction et de la fantasy en tant que genre (il y a aussi du très mauvais dans le genre comme dans tous les autres, ne soyons pas naif). J’ai apprécié la diversité des points de vue chez les gens interrogés, pour certains le genre est fondamentalement politique, pour d’autres pas forcément. Dans tous les cas tous s’accordent pour dire que c’est un genre qui peut enrichir la vie, qui fait grandir. On s’y confronte à l’autre, à l’inconnu à tout ce qui peut nous faire peur, on peut y revisiter son passé (j’adore les uchronies) ou imaginer son avenir. Les ouvrages de science fiction et de fantasy sont aussi d’excellentes capsules temporelles, ils permettent de voir quelles sont les peurs et les obsessions d’une époque. Et parfois on peut aussi y voir le pire, certains livres et certains auteurs ont très mal vieillis, mais ça aussi c’est le portrait d’une époque après tout.
J’aime beaucoup que presque tous les libraires conseillent Flowers for Algernon de Daniel Keyes, je pense que tout lecteur a le devoir de lire ce livre et de participer à notre traumatisme collectif (c’est beau mais c’est triste). J’ai aussi apprécié y voir beaucoup d’autrices et pas forcément uniquement dans le genre très attendu de romantasy (j’aime beaucoup ce genre de temps en temps donc je ne dis pas ça comme une critique), c’est aussi très agréable de voir des auteurs et autrices français mis en avant.
J’aime beaucoup que presque tous les libraires conseillent Flowers for Algernon de Daniel Keyes, je pense que tout lecteur a le devoir de lire ce livre et de participer à notre traumatisme collectif (c’est beau mais c’est triste). J’ai aussi apprécié y voir beaucoup d’autrices et pas forcément uniquement dans le genre très attendu de romantasy (j’aime beaucoup ce genre de temps en temps donc je ne dis pas ça comme une critique), c’est aussi très agréable de voir des auteurs et autrices français mis en avant.
January 9, 2025
j'ai beaucoup aimé cette lecture, même si je pense que le name dropping risque de freiner les curieux qui ne sont pas spécialement fanatiques des littératures de l'imaginaire. Les pistes de réflexions restent intressantes.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews