The word fantasy appeared in France around the 2000s at the same time as collections and publishing houses entirely dedicated to the genre. The latter, such as Bragelonne or Pocket Jeunesse, are rapidly gaining momentum thanks to the translation into French of foreign best-sellers. Events such as The Imaginales in Epinal highlight the authors of the genre and their novels. Stands dedicated to fantasy are taking up more and more space at book fairs. Marketing plays a considerable role, bound books are very popular, and despite their sometimes exorbitant prices, adorned with jaspage and goodies, they become real works of art. In France, especially, this genre has long been considered "secondary". However, every year new publishing houses dedicated to the imaginary flourish and the number of manuscripts submitted continues to increase.
These worlds populated by fairies, dragons, and elves are often wrongly seen as only attributed to an innocent young audience. If Philip Pullman's The Crossroads of Worlds enchants young and old alike, the planetary saga of Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin can only be aimed at an informed adult audience. Fantasy is a genre that crosses continents. If South America is more akin to magical realism, Africa is full of stories of sorcerers and ghosts haunt Chinese legends. This literary genre allows for an imagination without limits or laws. Authors and readers alike escape from a pragmatic world, tainted by war, economic crises or global pandemics. To open a book is to open a door to a universe larger than our own.
"Magic is a bridge. A bridge that allows you to go from the visible world to the invisible. And to learn the lessons of both worlds.”
- Paulo Coelho
Iréna Martinez
Hello! I share your opinion. When your adult and you read a classic or a book that you read when you were a child, you see symbols and hidden messages. It's realy heady.
Thank you for your comment Nadia !
Hello
I just looked at your site. I really appreciate your way of talking about fantasy. I am a big reader, especially of this literary genre. This allows me to escape from everyday life, to escape from my worries and the pressures that we can experience. Thank you for these interesting posts.
Hello! I love your post because you're right, fantasy allows us to escape from reality and makes our imaginations work. I think it's loved by people who are 40 years old, because older people can't really understand this way of making art. It depends too much on the culture of a context. With Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, this culture has touched a lot of people and is no longer considered as a strange art.
Have a nice day.
Nadia, from Bites of happiness