Effets Réels – Festival des Histoires Vraies brought together literature, research and civic engagement through the first international festival in France dedicated to literary non-fiction, or the “literatures of the real”.
Held from 10 to 12 April 2026 in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, the festival gathered writers, researchers, translators, journalists, students and citizens around testimony, narrative journalism, investigation, biography, autobiography, memory writing and historical narrative.
All events were free of charge, and the programme reached approximately 900 attendances over three days. Through author dialogues, round tables, performances, writing and translation workshops and convivial public events, Effets Réels explored literature as a civic tool for addressing fake news and digital disinformation.
Supported by CIVIS/Open Lab, Aix-Marseille Université and a broad network of academic and cultural partners, the project connected teaching, research, student involvement and public debate. It also laid the foundations for a biennial European festival rooted in Aix-Marseille and open to Mediterranean and European questions.